Tales of Vesperia - Dealers of the Light
by Moonshrew
Summary: Times have changed in the world of Terca Lumireis, the world is evolving into a new age. Brave Vesperia saved the world once, but will soon learn the consequences of their actions. War is on the rise and hidden truths will be exposed. Once more, Yuri Lowell will step in to save the world, but can he truly succeed when a thousand years ago is not what it seems? [YxE] [OCxF]
1. The Beginning of the End

**Chapter 1 - The Beginning of the End**

In the distance from the City of Halure on a long stretch of field, two people and a blue dog of the great guild city, Dahngrest, ran towards the great flowering tree as the smoke of a small stampede of monsters rushed on their heels.

"Their gaining on us, Yuri!" the young woman cried. She wore a midnight blue dress with lightly colored specks, glitter, and short puffy sleeves with long black boots, wrapped around her arms was a long, white cloth and Her distinct pink hair was tied with a white ribbon in a ponytail.

"Damn, it doesn't look like they'll leave." the young man, Yuri Lowell, cursed. He wore very similar colors to the young woman: a black long-tailed waistcoat with a silver buttons over a midnight blue tunic, it was tied with a white ribbon around his waist and wore black pants with leather cuffed boots. By his side was his faithful partner, Repede.

He turned his heel and faced the monsters that charged straight towards them "Yuri!" the young woman cried, stopping herself in her tracks to see the swordsman and Repede face the oncoming stampede. "Estelle, Just get to the city!" he yelled, unsheathing his katana. Readying himself to charge straight towards them, he looked to his side to see Estelle standing by him-her weapon and shield also at her ready. "Don't count me out, I can fight too." she replied with determination, Yuri laughed as looked at Estelle's face: there was a shine in her eyes, it was like she was having fun. "Well, don't come crying to me if you get hurt." he joked, rushing at the beasts with his blade ready. "Get hurt? I should be saying that to you!" she laughed, rushing at the same monster the swordsman aimed for.

Repede howled as he rushed the monsters, dizzying them as he spun around them with his blade, bouncing off their backs with his dagger dragging across their bodies-making quick work of his enemies and turning to the next one with great speed. Yuri and Estelle dodged out of the way of the monster's attacks, blocking the ones who aimed for their backs while the other did so with the front of them. The beasts went down swiftly, their bodies toppled over with ease.

There were only two left, Yuri battled the one in front of him while Estelle and Repede took down another. The swordsman rolled out of the way from the beast's charge, watching it rush across the field before turning tail back towards him "Crap." he growled, dodge once more out of the monster's way of destruction. It was smart, it knew that if it kept moving then the swordsman would not be able to hit it so quickly. However, Yuri cracked a smile as he faced the beast head on. Rearing his sword back, the beast watched helplessly as Yuri swung the sword up, releasing a bright blue wave-knocking the creature down, and just as fast the man released the sword into the air and caught it as he took a step forward and brought it down once more. The second and final wave of blue light destroyed the creature.

Yuri let out a heavy breath as he finished the creature off, the use of his arte almost strained him too much but he didn't let it show as Estelle came running up to him. He turned to see her worried look "Hey you guys took it down without me?" Yuri joked as Repede strutted past him, checking the monsters for supplies. Estelle frowned at his casual words, she could clearly see how fast he was breathing "Yuri, that's not funny. You know that we can't use artes as much as before. That was your third cast today." she scolded, narrowing her eyes at him. "Hey it's not like i wanted to use it, besides the monster are dead right?" he replied, placing a hand on his hip. Estelle sighed in defeat, and folded her fingers together "Well, at least we're alright. Just remember what Rita said about limiting artes." her frown turned to a light smile as she took a brief seat on the grass, Yuri knew it now for sure. She was definitely having more fun than she let on. He watched the fields as Estelle caught her breath and Repede's scavenging.

**~/.****L.****\~**

It wasn't too long before they arrived in Halure, and as soon as they did a wave of a refreshing feeling overcame the three. Repede yawned as he stretched his back while Estelle breathed in the floral smell deeply. "Was Halure always like this?" Yuri asked as he looked around the city. There were tents put up along the dirt roads and there seemed to be even more people coming and going. "No, it started a few months ago. For some reason the petals started glowing and the air around felt more restful than a good night's sleep. I remember Rita concluding that it had to do with the spirits and the Mana, but she wasn't sure why." Estelle explained as they were approached by a familiar face "You guys came back, though I haven't seen you in a while." The mayor greeted as he approached the three, "Yeah, it's definitely nice to see a friendly face." Yuri replied as the two men shook hands, Estelle bowed curtly towards the hunched over man "It's certainly good to be back."

"You must've had a long journey back, please do take care while you are here. I do have some other matters to tend to, so I must bid you three goodbye for now." The mayor bowed as he walked away towards his home. Yuri still took in the strange sight before him, Halure had definitely never been this crowded in a long while. Not since that Aer sickness took hold over Zaphias. His attention diverted when Repede barked before letting out a lazy whine "I think Repede's tired." Estelle commented as she crouched before Repede who walked past her, however she smiled at this as she felt a light brush of his fur against her shoulder. "Resting sounds nice, though I hope the inn still has a room left." the swordsman pondered, turning back to Estelle who had an excited look on her face. "You haven't been here in a while, right?"

"Not since I moved into Dahngrest, why?" his question was received with a giggle as Estelle grabbed Yuri's hand and pulled on it "H-hey Estelle!" Yuri yelped in surprise as he was tugged along by her "Just follow me!" she happily replied as she led him and Repede up along the dirt roads.

As Yuri was dragged along, there was a strange burn on his face. Though Estelle would never notice, the swordsman had a light tint of pink across his cheeks as her grasp tightened. "We're almost there, Oh I can't wait to show you!" she spoke enthusiastically as she led the two higher up a hill. Yuri looked at his side where Repede stared at him, he frowned at the dog's expression. It reminded him of a snarky old man he just happened to know. "Repede, that's not helping." he whispered, but caught the attention of the woman in front of him "Did you say something Yuri?" Estelle asked, while he averted his gaze, but she swore she saw his face brighten. "Nah, it's just your imagination." he replied as Estelle curiously tilted her head, she then looked down at her hand seeing Yuri's in her own. Her breath was caught in her throat as she immediately let go and turned away in hopes he didn't just see her face. "Uh, J-Just follow me! We're almost there now." she loudly commented, rushing up the hill road faster. Her fists were clenched tight and she could only assume Yuri and Repede followed.

**~/.****L.****\~**

"Huh, you actually bought a house?" Yuri stared at the worn beige house in front of them. It didn't look too big, but it did appear more expensive than the other homes they past. "Yes, with Ioder ascending to the throne, I don't need to be at the castle anymore." she replied, as she stepped towards the front door and pulled out an iron key. As she unlocked the door, Yuri made his way to the porch. It was old, wooden panels with some plants lined along the window pane, as well as soft wind chimes that barely moved with the lack of wind. The key clicked and Estelle gently swung the door open and entered. Yuri followed in, seeing Repede immediately take rest of a spacious corner where a half folded blanket laid on the floor- Repede yawned as he laid his head on his paws.

Yuri took note of the spacious living room, it was wood flooring with barely any furniture except for a small table in the dining room. Along the window seals were used wax candles and worn panels of wood. He carefully touched the wall, paint chipped on his finger as he rubbed it between his fingers. "Do you want something to eat?" Estelle asked from the kitchen, she was behind her pantry and it appeared that she rummaged through what she had. Yuri took a seat at the table, the furniture she had appeared to be hand-me-downs. Most likely from the Mayor. "Sure, I don't mind." he replied, leaning his head on his hand. He let out a heavy sigh, it appeared the Estelle definitely needed help with her house.

Estelle stared at her pantry, behind her, the fridge only had two quarts of milk and three eggs while in her pantry were four potatoes and pickled tomatoes. There was a dull look on her face, she really needed to get more food. A wave of uncertainty rushed over her as she peeked over the counter where Yuri causally sat at the old table the mayor gave her. "_What can i make…?"_ she pondered anxiously, however she gulped down her pride and peaked around the corner. While she hoped that Yuri was still minding his own business, instead she received a questionable look from the man "You need some help?" he offered, only to see Estelle's nervous smile. "Well...I suppose you could help." she passively replied, watching Yuri get up and head over to her. "Alright, what do you have?"

Estelle had watched Yuri for a while in embarrassment, he knew exactly what to make with what she little she had and there was no doubt that it would be delicious as usual. All the while she sat at the table feeling useless. Pretty soon she was handed a bowl of creamy potato salad "I feel so stupid." she mumbled as Yuri sat beside her, "Why? It's just food."

"Yes, well you're my guest. So I should've made something instead of you making it." she huffed looking at Yuri who only stared at her with a snarky yet amused expression. "What's that look for?" she asked softly, feeling her cheeks tingle with a sting "hmm? Oh, nothing really." He nonchalantly replied, turning away from her as he took another bite of his food. "_What's that supposed to mean?_" she thought, looking down at her bowl of food. Saliva filled her mouth as she ate a spoonful, her eyes widened as she took more bites of her food. From the corner of her eye she looked up, seeing Yuri have that same look on his face before letting out a laugh "What?" She inquired, demanding to know why he stared at her like that, "It never hurts to ask for help, Estelle." he smiled turning towards the window outside where a nice view of Halure Tree stood. Estelle could only stare at him in disbelief, she dared to refute back but stopped herself as she noticed how calm he looked-as if he was in a strangely tranquil state. It was something she didn't usually see on him, yet she couldn't help but smile. It was uncommon, but seeing the swordsman as he was in that moment put a sense of relief on her.

**~/.****L.****\~**

Night had fallen, and the sight of Halure' Tree was even more beautiful than before. Yuri watched from the roof of Estelle's home as the pink petals fell with a blue glow. The soft wind that drifted the petals throughout the night blew through his hair, this place definitely put a strange feeling of peace in him. It almost felt unnatural for him to feel so calm on nights like this. He wondered if perhaps it was because of the spirit of Halure, the change of the world's natural power may have had some sort of weird effect on the tree as well as his artes. Even so, he wondered why he could only use an arte for three times. Any more than that he would feel incredibly weak and feel an intense headache. Though he only tried doing four artes once, he remembered how he couldn't do any guild missions for a whole week- not that Estelle would ever know.

From his thoughts, he looked down from the roof. There were visitors and residents alike near the tree, admiring its beauty. Seeing different people, he noticed the appearance of more Krytia in the city. His mind wandered to where Judith's _personal_ mission was, though she did not say where or what it was, the Krytia did make him promise to have a round of drinks with her. Of course he'd never refuse, but as he remembered more about that day, he recalled that she had a somber smile on her face. Either that or he probably just imagined it.

He laid down on the creaking roof panels. The view of the stars was amazing, especially seeing Vesperia glimmer in the night. It out shined any other stars, though the moon couldn't be any bigger, The petals blew above as if in a never-ending dance. The scene was unlike any other and it reminded him of when Estelle healed the tree, though he wouldn't have imagined her to be a Child of the Full Moon- he recalled seeing her in that trance, how she glowed like the moon itself- Only better.

"...Yuri?" Estelle's voice from below brought his attention to the pink haired woman. He pushed himself up as Estelle climbed up the vine ladder to the roof. She had a worried, yet tired look in her eyes as she sat beside him. "Sorry, I didn't wake you- did I?" he questioned the young woman. Estelle shook her head, huddling her legs close. She wore a white gown that covered her bare feet as she looked up at the stars. "I was already awake, it's hard to sleep when it's a Full Moon." she admitted with a sigh, Yuri stared for a moment. He wasn't sure what to say about it.

"Well, nights like this are worth staying up for. At least for me, anyway." he stated as he watched a smile grow on her face "True, especially when you can see Vesperia so bright in the sky now. Do you stay awake during the Full Moon as well?" she turned towards him, he looked at the sky- a calm look glossed over his face "Yeah, the sight is reassuring in some way." he replied, the words of the swordsman caused Estelle's eyes to widen. She hadn't expected him to say something like that, she wondered if it was a white lie. Yet knowing Yuri, she knew he wouldn't lie to her about that type of thing.

Estelle rested her chin on her knees, her focus was now of the travelers and residents slowly leaving the tree to their beds. "It feels kinda weird." she mumbled, but just loud enough for Yuri to hear. He turned towards her as she had a soft smile on her lips "Tonight feels different than other times when I'm alone."

"Hasn't Rita watched the stars with you before? I hear from Judith that she had spent time with you before tonight." Yuri's question caused a scrunched up look on her face "she has... but it's not the same as tonight. Maybe it's because you're here…" she admitted, trailing off her words. She didn't look at the swordsman, there wasn't a need to. "Well, it may not mean much, but I guess I could say the same about tonight as well."Yuri replied, laying down on the roof panel once more. The view once more captivated him, even more so with the presence of Estelle. And it wasn't before long that she too laid on top the roof paneling. In silence they watched the skies darken by the minute and the stars growing brighter. And soon enough, the two fell asleep to the sound of the soft wind and Estelle's wind chimes below.

**~/.****L.****\~**

Somewhere, further within the canyons of Relewiese Hollow stood the Krytian warrior, Judith. Her eyes set upon the winding cliffs and ledges, once this place had been barren. Yet now all kinds of plant life had grown so quickly. As she made her way down, the Krytian took in the beauty of the now vast floral region.

Now further below, Judith stopped in front of a cavern entrance. Vines had grown down, covering the cave from sight. She wondered if perhaps the nature around had purposely done this, but she knew the question would not be answered so easily. Brushing the vines aside, she moved past them and stepped into the cavern. As she continued in the darkness, a rushing feeling overcame her-a sense of calm waves flowed throughout the cavern, and soon enough it brightened with the Krytia approaching the center where the Aer Krene once had been.

"...What?" Judith's mouth slightly gapped at the sight, the once Aer Krene was now filled with a glowing blue pool, the once white lilies were now colored blue and purple, and silver light floated to the top of the flourishing cavern. There were even small monsters that slept peacefully around the greenery. Yet despite all the peace, her ears picked up a sound behind her. Judith spun around, spear in hand to confront what tried to sneak up on her.

"Hello there, Krytia." the soft voice came. Judith narrowed her eyes, seeing the now apparent figure of a woman. As the person came closer, Judith watched as the strange Krytian faced her with a smile. "I certainly hope I didn't frighten you, although truthfully I did hope to hear a fearful scream." she giggled as she stared at Judith's stone cold face, however she did loosen up- with an even tight grip on her spear. "I don't suppose you're the one who contacted me."

"Oh but of course! I'm not a person of improper pranks, even though I do enjoy a good laugh every now and then." she replied, folding her fingers together. Judith cracked a smile, though it was not one of enjoyment. "You act like one, and you even have the appearance of them. However, I get the feeling your not."

"Hmm? Not what, exactly?"

"You know what I mean." Judith coldly replied before the Krytian woman in front of her burst out in laughter. There was a genuine smile on her face, and the fact that she appeared non-threatening put Judith off. "I'm so sorry, that was just really funny!" she chorted, wiping a small tear from her eye. The Krytian cleared her throat with a cough, as if she was trying to stifle another laugh.

"Am I to assume you are an enemy?" Judith once again asked the strange woman, she appeared offended by the very statement but brushed it off as she put her hand to her cheek "Of course not, but let's just say I'm a distant _friend_ of a friend." the woman concluded, holding out her hand to Judith.

"My name is Ruzulia, and I'm sure you already know why I'm here."

* * *

**Well, Hello there~ ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)**

**Oh my gosh, this is literally going to kill me just putting this chapter up.**

**I haven't been on in so long that the last time I remember putting something up was when I was eight years old a.k.a **_**the dark ages**_**.**

**I'm actually really excited about this, i know the whole schmit of authors going dark, and I can't say that won't happen to me. But DEAR LORD has this been in the works for a year, A YEAR. since last january i've had this idea in my head that's been through constant phases and quite literally cultivated to what it is now. (kinda like One For All from BNHA) but oh boy, OOH BOy do i have great plans for this! Now i haven't written anything this massive before, and with the common trope of writers going dark, I can promise you one thing. I. Will. Finish. This. I have no intentions of this going dark and unfinished, my life quite literally depends on this. **

**Or rather my insanity.**

**Anyways, please bare with me as I do my best to make this as good as I can. It won't be perfect, but dammit I am going to try (****ง****'̀-'́)****ง ****Now obviously there are some common writing annoyances in here, and this has gone through so many concepts and phases that it makes my head spin.**

**So many different routes... unexplainable **_**things**_ **that this could've been…**

**Anyways, I hope that this turns into something people would enjoy. I'm already working on future chapters, so please leave a comment and maybe a favorite if you feel invested in this.**

**As ususal, Tales of Vesperia is owned by Bandai Namco. The OC's and more original elements come from my own imagination and any other elements from the tales. series may appear as well.**


	2. The Encounter

Chapter 2 - The Encounter

Yuri's eyes opened to the dimly lit sky "Damn, I must've been out all night." he muttered sitting up, as he watched the rising sun peak over the horizon. There was barely any wind, yet the air felt cool on his skin. By his side, he heard Estelle's yawn as she looked at him with a tired stare. She appeared to be half asleep with her dreamy gaze, "Yuri...what are you doing?" she asked, there was a hum in her voice as Yuri shrugged. "Watching the sun rise, did you sleep well?"

"Yes, but...why are we on the roof?" she asked once more, pushing herself up while she looked around in a daze. "We slept all night watching the stars remember? Although I'm surprised we didn't catch a cold." he explained, already Yuri could see the slow realization in Estelle's face. There was a flustered look on her face, he wondered if perhaps she did catch a cold "You okay Estelle? Your face is turning red."

"Y-Yes, I'm fine!" she rushed through her words, and in a hurry she moved towards the vine ladder with a shaking hand "are you sure you're okay? We don't have to leave today if you caught a cold." Yuri offered, however Estelle continued to climb down and kept her gaze averted from him "I'm fine, you don't need to worry. Besides, I need to head to the shop so I can make breakfast." she argued as she headed through the door, there was a stiffness in her walk but it was nothing Yuri worried about. He continued to watch the sun rise higher in the sky before decided it was time to head down.

Conveniently, the Mayor stopped by as soon as Estelle was ready to head down to the shop. He brought a basket of food and wished her and Yuri well. although she thanked him, Yuri noticed Estelle's face even more flustered than before. He wasn't entirely sure why, but the mayor did give him a strange smile. If the mayor was implying something that didn't happen, then he could understand why Estelle felt embarrassed.

"You want me to help out this time?" the swordsman asked, sitting at the table. He backed off when Estelle gave him a glaring look "Alright, alright I get it. After all I am your _guest_." he teased with a smile, only to receive another glare from the woman. She must've really taken the Mayor's words rather seriously.

He wondered if the Mayor teased her about it often.

Yuri waited patiently as the smell of fried bacon filled his nose, from the corner where Repede had stayed, the dog could also smell the food and prompted him to strut over to Yuri's side. It wasn't before long that Estelle came over with two plates and a bowl. Repede watched Estelle place the two plates on the table before bringing over the bowl towards him, and while the blue dog tried to hide his excitement as his food was placed on the ground- his tail only swished faster than usual.

"If I didn't know any better, Repede seems to like your food more than mine." Yuri remarked with a smile, he waited until Estelle sat down to eat. "Really? I figured it was just because he's hungry." Estelle replied, the two adults ate their food with small talk of their recent lives.

"Ah, I see you two are already off." The Mayor stated- Yuri, Estelle, and Repede encountered the old man once more as they neared the entrance of Halure. They had stopped for supplies, but Estelle figured that she should thank the Mayor for what he did, "Yes, we have a guild job to look into at Zaphias. I'm not sure when I'll be back, but thank you for this morning." she bowed in thanks, "Yes, well, you both have done so much for us. I figure bringing food to your house would be no trouble at all." the Mayor had that smile again, it annoyed Yuri but Estelle's cheeks was once again bright pink. "I think we should be on our way, thanks again." Yuri cooly replied, heading out of Halure.

"Thank you, Mayor." Estelle curtly bowed once more, before stiffly rushing over to Yuri and Repede who waited for her to catch up. The swordsman took another look at the old mayor, he had wondered at first if the mayor was just being nice or perhaps more conniving than he let on, and as the Mayor gave Yuri a thumbs-up he definitely knew that the mayor was just as sinister as another Old man he regrettably knew too well.

**~/.L.\~**

With the morning being early still, the travel to Deidon Hold only had a few battles and by early afternoon the three arrived at the fortress that stood taller than ever.

"I don't think I've seen it this busy in a while." Yuri commented, looking at the many travelers and merchants fill the clearing. From the outside it was easy to see the walls being built taller, but within were also many workers who built homes for the Hold. "I came back a few months ago from Halure to Ioder's succession, I didn't have much time to see the development of homes but the advancement is amazing." Estelle remarked, admiring the busyness of the ever-expanding fortress. Yuri took note of the merchants around and many of them had different guild seals on their wagons, although he could spot a few independent sellers. "I heard there were guild-based sellers from Karol, but there seemed to be more than I expected." the swordsman mused as he approached one of the many stalls selling weapons, "Maybe you should listen to Karol more often." Estelle jested with a giggle, Yuri waved his hand with a sigh "I do listen, but we've had a lot of jobs lately that it's sometimes hard to keep up with everything." despite Yuri's excuse, Repede barked as he stared at his master in annoyance. "Oh you think so too Repede? Man, I can't catch a break with either of you two." he sighed, turning back to Estelle only to see her run off to a very particular merchant with a wagon full of books. "There goes our bookworm princess again." Yuri smiled, he turned to Repede-exchanging looks with the dog as he walked over to Estelle with a sway in his tail.

"Excuse me sir, do you plan to stare all day?" the merchant in front of him tapped his foot, Yuri looked at the stubby man- he was definitely an independent seller, and a noble to boot: seeing the obvious, yet common crested jeweled rings. "Sorry, I'll leave you to scamming your customers." Yuri waved the now infuriated merchant off, the swordsman felt the common glare behind his back as he made his way towards Estelle and Repede.

From ahead of him there was a thick crowd of people browsing the stalls, he could still see Estelle's hair over where she hurried off to but just barely. Yuri moved away from the crowds, going around them rather dealing with the annoyance of moving between people. Now in the open, Yuri made his way towards the two but noticed two travelers that appeared different than the rest. He paid no mind, but he could see a young man in gold and white armor- there was an insignia of an orange sun on the breast plate. Besides the man was a smaller figure hidden behind the hood of a dark orange cloak. They must've noticed him when Yuri made eye contact with the armored man. Although it was brief, Yuri looked away from the two.

"_You_!"

The shout of the man in gold-plated armor with wild black hair pointed at Yuri with a shaking finger, the swordsman turned back towards the two as the man rushed towards Yuri with a glare in his red eyes as he outstretched his arm towards him. Easily, Yuri side-stepped out of the man's way. Causing his attacker to almost tumble into a stall and unfortunately fall on a traveler minding their own business.

"Hey! You just bumped-" "Can it! You filthy traveler!" The brash man pushed off the person he knocked himself into, the crowd of people that swarmed around the merchants backed away from Yuri and the trouble maker.

"That's not a very nice way to treat people, especially if it was your fault that you tripped." Yuri stated, narrowing his eyes at the strange young man that seemed to have a vendetta against him, "You think I care when I've found you? Traitors don't just get to run away from the problems they caused." he shouted angrily, reaching for his Halberd on his back. Yuri gripped the ribbon of his sheath, "_Great, another crazy fan of mine._" he thought annoyed at the scene, he briefly looked around hoping for any guards on duty to have seen the attempted assault "Where are the knights?" he asked himself, there was no one on site. Just at the man took a step forward, the cloaked person who had been with the attacker cried out.

"Tervan! Wait!" the feminine voice of the cloaked person stopped the man, Tervan, as she pressed her gloved hands against the armor of the man "That's the wrong person, you don't need to cause trouble for us again!" she pleaded, focusing all her might on the rambunctious boy "I don't care, Clyde. Move out of my way." He growled, pushing against the cloaked girl, however it appeared that she was much stronger as she continued to halt him and even push him back "Well, I said don't cause trouble for us! What would happen if we got caught by the knights here, or if Vertil came back to see this?" she argued as the familiar feeling of bloodlust from the troublemaker bugged Yuri's senses "She's got a point there, I doubt you'd want to get arrested over a common mistake." Yuri called out towards the two, his voice must've distracted the girl's focus as she turned back to see the swordsman. Though she was hidden, he could see a confused look in her strange, golden eyes. "I said MOVE!" Tervan yelled, pushing her down and charging towards Yuri with his blade forward. "_Oh crap-!_" Yuri stepped back as he watched as the man's speed accelerate too fast for Yuri to dodge, he raised his sheathed sword to block the attack. Yet it never came, instead Yuri felt the same blood lust behind him now, only stronger. "_What?_" the swordsman muttered in shock as was unable to turn around in time to face the opponent behind him.

"Stand down, Tervan." the calm voice of a tall man with piercing red eyes stood in front of the scene, Yuri turned back in front of him where the appearance of another man stopped the force of the heavy bladed spear with his bare hands at no struggle- He had short blonde hair with a strip of long black hair down his left side and strange armor similar to the wild young man. He paid no mind to Yuri and instead focused on his apparent comrade in front of him "Vertil, This man is-"

"Stand. Down." he commanded with a low growl, it must've worked as Yuri could see the pure terror and obedience in the younger man. Quietly, Tervan put back his weapon and stood in his place. Just as this occurred, two knights with orange and green cloth hurried over towards the three.

"Is there a problem?" they inquired through their helmets and had a firm grip on their swords. "I do apologize, my good sir. Unfortunately, my comrade tends to mistake his place often. I assure you, it will not happen again." the man, Vertil, apologized with a bow. It must have caught the two knights off guard as they turned to each other in uncertainty "Make sure it doesn't." the knight commanded with a cough before looking over to Yuri- with nothing to say to him, they walked off. "I must apologize to you as well," Vertil approached the swordsman, there was an uneasy feeling Yuri got off him. That man was behind him just now, he was sure of it. That bloodlust emitted off of those two reminded him too much of someone, yet he couldn't tell who- Especially with his suddenly obedient comrade. "Like I mentioned to those knights, my comrades do intend to have a mind of their own. It's something I am having a hard time with putting them in their place." the man explained to Yuri, he still had a firm grip on his sheath, although his grasp loosened only a bit "You seem pretty good with buttery up those knights. No harm done, but you really should be careful in places like this." Yuri explained, the leader smiled in a sickening sweet way. "Yes, I will most definitely heed your advice well." he held out his hand towards Yuri as the swordsman quirk an eyebrow "My name is Vertil Vynteil, and you are…?"

"Yuri Lowell." he replied, but did not shake his hand. Vertil tilted his head in curiosity at this "Yuri Lowell? That's not a very common name in these parts, are you a noble perhaps?" Vertil's question caused no response from Yuri except for a quiet glare as Vertil pulled back his hand. "Well, perhaps that was a crude joke, but I would like to ask you if you have seen a… well, I suppose a _comrade_ of ours. They have very _distinctive_ eyes, it's hard to miss them in a busy crowd like this, however." Vertil inquired, Yuri narrowed his eyes- there was something wrong about this man, it was familiar and he certainly did not like it. "No, I haven't. And even if I did, it's not as if I'd just tell you a stranger's where abouts. Especially after what your _Comrade_ just tried to do." Yuri watched the man's face twitch as if annoyed. Eerily, it seemed like his smile was now a grin of annoyance and hatred. "That's quite unfortunate, especially seeing how capable of a person you are. But if we meet again, I certainly hope you'd help a _poor sod_ like myself out."

"Yuri!" Estelle's voice took away the swordsman's narrowed focus, she had a book in hand and a curious gaze at the three characters "Yuri? Do you know them?" she asked, seeing the tense look on Yuri's face. There was an uneasy feeling she got from the three, especially the cloaked figure. "Perhaps I shall take my leave now, Yuri Lowell." Vertil replied, taking a long look at Estelle. Beside her was Repede who glared at the mysterious group, baring his sharp fangs and a low growl "That's quite a lady you have there, make sure _nothing _happens to her." Vertil stated before he and his group walked off, Yuri clenched his fist and stared at them bitterly. Estelle watched Yuri's tense posture, had something happened between them? She was so lost in her book that she hadn't noticed Repede tugging on her dress before. She turned back towards the group as they passed through the gates towards Halure, the cloaked figure stayed closer to the leader's side while the other man walked in a stiff march. The leader turned, catching Estelle's gaze. There a smile on his face,

It was a grin of malicious intent.

"You three okay?" the familiar and friendly voice of the president of Fortune's Market approached them from behind, Yuri shook off his bitterness before turning towards the woman, Mary Kaufman. "Yes, but those people were really weird." Estelle sighed in relief of seeing Kaufman, the crowds around them carried on their business but stayed wary of the three. "I'll live, but damn did that man get on my nerves." Yuri spoke with annoyance, Mary frowned seeing where the group had once been "Those people have been around here a lot and making this place pretty tense. They keep asking about a missing person of theirs, even going as far with threats." she explained, her words put a bitter taste on Estelle's tongue "That's horrible, why don't the Knight do anything about it?"

"It's probably because they're scared." Yuri concluded with an annoyed wave of his hand, "That could be so, or they're just worried about them being an unknown factor." "Unknown factor of what?" Estelle asked with a tilt of her head, Kaufman smiled crossing her arms silently. The very notion had Yuri understanding what she meant "As usual, information doesn't come lightly from you does it?" the swordsman frowned only to have Kaufman laugh "You know me so well, Yuri Lowell. However, I don't mind sharing if you do me a favor. I promise it would make it worth you time, especially you Princess." Kaufman looked at Estelle who appeared taken back by the woman's words. She looked at Yuri with a questionable look "Yuri, what should we do?" she asked, waiting for the swordsman's decision as he faced Kaufman "Alright, you got us interested." he replied in defeat, Mary gestured them to follow as they headed towards the warehouse of Fortune's Market.

**~/.L.\~**

Inside, Kaufman waved off her guards as they took watch outside the door along with Repede, who waited outside as well. She waited until the door closed shut before she began. "Alright, what do you need us to do?" Yuri inquired, seeing Kaufman's business smirk "Straight to the point as usual, although I do have to share my information first." Kaufman turned towards Estelle briefly, seeing her look of curiosity build up "Well, we're all ears." Kaufman nodded and crossed her arms in deep thought.

"You guys have heard about the ongoing plague right?" the president began, Estelle stared at Kaufman surprise "Isn't it just a sickness rather than a plague?" Estelle questioned, she was surprised by the very words Kaufman spoke "If it was a sickness, then there wouldn't be people in both the Empire as well as the Guild city coming down with the same symptoms. And trust me, it's not just a common cold. I'm sure you know this well, Yuri." the swordsman stared at Kaufman, he looked away and put a hand towards his chin in thought "_she's not wrong, especially with all these merchants around._" he recalled back to what Karol had told him

**~/.L.\~**

"_Yuri, are you even listening?" Karol asked with a frown, he tapped his fingers on his desk- waiting for him to answer. "Yeah Boss, Guild people are coming down with a cough and are suddenly too lazy to work anymore. So they're hiring merchants to sell tools and items on their behalf." Yuri recited the words Karol told him, in his own way. "This is serious Yuri. No one knows where it's coming from or what the source is. The same is said to be happening at Zaphias too." Karol explained, the young teen fumed as he watched Yuri wave his hand so casually. "Alright, I got it." Yuri replied, he kept his eyes closed as he leaned on the wall. Karol crossed his arms, he could see how tired Yuri was- but made no comment on it. _

**~/.L.\~**

"Yeah, I remember the Boss saying something like that." Yuri admitted as Kaufman pushed her glasses up "Then I'm sure you've also heard of the Plague Doctor as well?"

"Plague Doctor?" Yuri asked, the term came up as a blank in his memory, but Estelle had a spooked look on her face "I've heard of him, he comes at night to those who have come down with a terrible illness and cures them in the most terrifying ways!" she remarked with a shudder down her arms, it was as if she recited the very words from a late night horror book. "I'm not sure it's as dramatic as that," Kaufman replied, giving a reassuring smile to Estelle "but the general rumor is of a person who can cure the illness with advanced artes. The name Plague Doctor was probably just a way to keep any citizen or traveler from being careless." she explained further, it set Estelle at ease briefly.

"So, what does that have to do with that group?" Yuri asked as Estelle leaned in curiously "Not so much with the group in question, but think of it as something along those lines." Kaufman replied, walking over to one of her crates. She sighed as she looked into her stock "I've been receiving too many orders of Panacea and Cure bottles, and quite frankly I'm running low. I had a supplier back at Aurion, but they were all out as well. It appears that the Emperor is having problems at Zaphias with the outbreak, more so than Dahngrest."

"And this means?" the swordsman waited for an answer "It means that either the new Emperor really cares for his people, or something much higher up is happening." she looked at Estelle, hoping for an answer "Why do you think something like that is happening?" the pink haired princess asked, she stared at the President of Fortune's Market with question "Nobles, with the exception of you and His Majesty, commonly pull strings to get their way and stay away from people they don't like. This is why there are secret second hand markets for nobles who stock up on guild-made items. It's illegal because during times like these the Nobility could get greedy and brash, leaving the rightful profits to said guilds stolen." the red haired woman explained with a wave of her hand.

"If your so worried about it, why don't you contact The Commandant or have a thorough investigation with Aurion?" Yuri questioned, even though he knew the answer, he still needed to make sure of the information "Well, I'm sure you could understand the situation of Aurion and the matter of second-hand sellers compared to this plague. What I want is for you to find the Plague Doctor, so that I won't be completely bought out by the Empire." Kaufman replied, Yuri turned towards Estelle who had a shocked look on her face-and truth be told, it was surprising to hear the request. "You want us to find The Plague Doctor? But I thought he was just a rumor?"

"Yeah, it does seem strange, especially you to chase after a rumor." Yuri inquired, he placed his hand on his hip with a quirked look "Well, when you're desperate it's not hard to hope for a rumor to come true. Especially with strange times like these." Kaufman smiled knowingly, but it was a smile that she wasn't letting on more that she knew. Yuri sighed, defeated by the woman's words.

"I would ask if this would be considered a job, but I highly doubt it considering the situation."

"I don't mind paying you for your services, I'm sure the paperwork would rather grueling for the leader of Brave Vesperia however." Kaufman smirked with her eyes narrowed. The swordsman looked away in thought, a nervous yet annoyed look appeared on his face "The Boss wouldn't be very happy with another stack of endless signatures, but he wouldn't be so upset if he got something out of it." Yuri debated with a dull look on his face.

"Karol does have his desk stacked with papers." Estelle added with a giggle, she smiled as Yuri sighed once more in defeat against the business woman "You drive a hard bargain as usual, President. Wouldn't want 'The Esteemed Captain Karol' slacking off guild missions even more." Yuri turned away and headed towards the door "So you'll do it for free?" Kaufman asked, there was a small burst of excitement in her voice

"Let's just say for this wild goose chase you definitely owe us a favor. Off the record, that is." Yuri waved his hand as Estelle bowed at Kaufman "Till we meet again." Estelle replied, hurrying after the swordsman out the door with a wave back at Mary.

The door closed shut, and she was left alone. Turning back to the stock she had, she grinned to herself. "Owe them? I'm practically doing them a favor." she chuckled, closing the crate full of medicine bottles.

**~/.L.\~**

Yuri leaned back on the wall near the gate towards Zaphias with his eyes closed. Every now and then he opened them to check on Estelle, who browsed the market, and Repede who stayed by her side. Looking towards the sky, it was already turning a crisp orange with clouds moving by slowly. Night would fall in a few hours, there was no way they would make it to Zaphias before then. Yuri pushed himself off the wall, heading over to where Estelle purchased some tools and Repede who laid on the ground beside her

"Thank you, have a good evening." the merchant replied as Estelle turned to see the swordsman walking up to her. "Yuri, are you ready to go?" she asked, hurrying towards him. "Shouldn't I be the one saying that? It's already night." he replied, as Estelle looked towards the sky with an embarrassed look "I guess I took longer than I should've." she laughed but stopped when she noticed Yuri's tired face "We should probably rest at an Inn, today's been pretty crazy." she added as Repede let out a whine and a stretch. "I don't think an Inn sounds too bad, we'll just head off early in the morning." The swordsman agreed. Where the common resting area had been was now a structured building in place of their Inn. the building was tall, with many levels and it appeared it was not fully done.

Inside, was one of the off duty members from Fortune's Market. "The President said you would be here." the worker greeted as she moved behind the counter where a pantry of mats and pillows were. Estelle looked past the counter where travelers and workers alike laid on the floor on top of mats. "Is it always like this?" Estelle asked, she received a tired nod from the guild woman. "Yes, with everything happening so fast and everyone simply tired from their shift. Ms. Kaufman had a resting area built right away before anything else." as she said this, she handed Estelle and Yuri two mats "it's an order from The President that you two and your dog rest here free for tonight." she explained with a weary smile, Yuri had a quirked look on his face "did she say why?" he asked as Estelle quietly walked outside "I think she said 'tell them that you owe me now' or something like that." she explained with an apologetic look, Yuri sighed as Estelle walked back in with Repede behind her. There was a dull look of Yuri's face after hearing the message. "Well, we have a big day tomorrow." Estelle whispered with a small smile, Yuri looked at the two as Repede let out a quiet huff.

The blue dog followed the two up the stairs quietly, watching as his tired human fought against his exhaustion-hiding it from Estelle. Repede continued up with Yuri and Estelle, the higher they went up the stairs, the less people there was. Finally, they got to the last floor they could climb. Passing by him was a worker heading down the stairs to his night job. He gave Repede a strange look but showed nothing in his face except tiredness. He turned away from the two, heading over to a dark corner as usual as he watched the two tired humans lay down their bags and mats. Repede closed his eye, waiting for them to fall asleep. It didn't take long for Estelle's breathing to quiet down, and that was just what he needed. His master, on the other hand laid there silently. He could tell he wasn't asleep, even if he did watch him.

An hour passed, and Repede quietly stood up- stepping lightly towards Yuri, who was finally asleep. He sat beside the swordsman, watching his fingers twitch slightly and his breathes come out heavy. Repede turned his head to Estelle, she quietly stared at him and his master as Repede trotted over to her.

Though she couldn't understand what he thought, the knowing look in his eye was enough to tell her what was going on. "It's okay, Repede. I'll stay by him tonight." she whispered, reaching her hand out toward the blue dog. He lowered his head, letting her pat him softly. Repede turned to his corner and stepped back to it. Laying his head down as he watched Estelle lay back down-holding Yuri's hand.

**~/.L.\~**

"...Vertil?"

Clyde lightly tugged on the waist coat of the man who lead them to the next destination. Though it was dark with barely any light, he turned around to her-his staring red eyes glowed in the dark, catching her off guard. "Yes, my Dear?" he asked kindly, although she could tell he was annoyed with her presence. Despite fear welling up inside her, she let go of his clothes and pulled her cloak around her body more. "We've confirmed the rumor that it was an outside source and that it wasn't a traitor…" she started, her words trailed off as she shifted in her posture "...Could we just go home now, please?" her voice sounded smaller than before, and she looked away from the intimidating man. Vertil sighed, looking at Tervan who stood statue-like beside him "Go check for danger, Illunis." he commanded, the very moment he did so, Tervan took off- sword in hand, leaving the two behind.

Vertil kneeled in front of Clyde, there was a caring look on his face "Are you afraid of that woman, Clyde?" his question caused Clyde to look up at him in shock, she took a step back as she grabbed her shaking arm.

"N-No I just...i just thought that maybe we could let things be as they may, you know...we don't really need to fully crossover, so I thought that-"

"Clyde, you know as well as any of us that this is for the good of all of us and I'm sure you also know why we can't give up the search for that _woman_." Vertil's words cut her off, the man had a spiteful look on his face as he spoke of them. Clyde looked down, wondering if perhaps she persisted he would listen "Y-yes I understand but-"

"Clyde, that woman is the only way to find our savior. The one who will our Grace us for eternity." the man's growl reminded the girl of her position, his aggressiveness hit her hard as she stared at him with her golden eyes stinging greatly. She could feel her tears drip down her cheeks, she quickly wiped them away in hopes that he did not see "...Yes Vertil, I understand." her reply was firm, but it still shook with the meek emotion she had.

Vertil sighed, standing up as soon as Tervan came back silently. He looked around before turning to Tervan who stayed silent.

"It will be nightfall in a few hours, perhaps we should set up camp- If Destrine knew you were overworked he would surely have my head." Vertil duly spoke as he pointed out a thicker area of trees to Clyde. "Until we set up your tent, please make sure to stay out of the light." he ordered as Clyde nodded silently. She walked passed Tervan who stayed as still as a statue. Looking down at his sword, her breath caught in her throat as she looked away quickly, gripping her shaking arm as she hurried into the darkness of the trees.

By herself, she huddled her cloak closer to her shaking body. The way the blood had smelled was different than monsters, she knew what happened- _Someone overheard them._ The death of that person was only because she was there- because her, Vertil, and Tervan were _here_. Tears stung her eyes and she silently sobbed. Everything relied on finding the traitor, everything relied on finding the savior. Then, it would be fine. They could leave this place alone and she could go back home to Destrine. "Everything...everything will be fine. That's what Destrine said, so it's true." Clyde muttered to herself, unable to take her eyes off of the small pool of water where moonlight shimmered down.

She got up slowly, entranced by the way the light reflected down on the water. It reminded her of all those fairy tales she would read in the library. Nearing the small clearing, any worrying thoughts she had before vanished. The stillness of the water calmed her emotions. Her hand reached out for it as her fingers neared the ray of light. The rays of moonlight connected with her skin, a searing pain shot up through her arm as she let out a shrill of pain. Unable to move from where she stood, she screamed trying to pull herself away as the light only dragged her in closer.

It wasn't until the hard grip of Vertil pulled her out and back into the darkness, "Stupid girl! Where did it touch you?!" Vertil shouted as he held the crying girl tight, through her uncontrollable tears. The man grabbed her hand that glowed with light as it inched up her arm, quickly he muttered words in an indecipherable language-a magic arte circle underneath him glowed a dark, menacing red as Clyde's cries slowed to a stop, her eyes closed and she fell asleep. Silence followed as Vertil carried her towards their camp, by the campfire Tervan stood as still as a stone while Vertil laid Clyde down on a mat underneath a tented cloth. He brushed her wavy pink hair out of her eyes, glaring at her darkly. "What was Destrine thinking, ordering you to find the traitor?" he growled, leaving Clyde to sleep as he took a seat by the campfire. Staring at the flames, he thought angrily about the man Tervan attacked earlier

"he caught your eyes too, didn't he?" Tervan asked with a smile, he sat across from Vertil and had more life in his face. Vertil looked up at Tervan, there a smile on his face-yet hatred filled his eyes "I'm rather jealous that you found him before me, but I know you don't exactly have the smarts to have scouted out such a person." Vertil narrowed his eyes as Tervan pulled out a crumpled piece of paper, waving it in the air "You're right that I'm not smart, it hurts my feelings that you called me stupid though." the paper neared the fire as Vertil watched the edges warm up "You lost control, all because the mere thought of him got you angry. And so did someone else." as Tervan spoke this, the paper began flaring up as he let it go. However, Vertil was quicker.

Between his fingers, the paper was drawn back towards Vertil's chest. The edges no longer burned but they were still hot. Tervan smiled childishly before he burst out into laughter. Vertil had no smile on his face, instead there was a look of pure rage. Tervan only laughed louder at him, Vertil's eyes glowed darkly with a bloody red

Then, the laughter stopped abruptly.

Vertil glanced back towards the dimly lit tree, Tervan's body stood still as a statue. There was a faint breathing in his chest, and the boy's eyes still glowed with childish happiness. The man looked at the letter, the writing was of a madman.

_Yuri Lowell_

Scratched in blood, most likely the person's nails, was that name. Overlapping, but the obsession was there. Vertil smiled, his nails digging into the palm of his hands. The blood dripped down his wrists and onto the ground. The paper was flown into the fire, the crackling of the flames popped in the cold air. "Well, maybe there is truth in what you say, Dear Brother." Vertil replied, he looked up to the night sky. The moon covered with the on coming clouds that passed slowly, the only light around them was now the campfire that flared inside his eyes. "Yuri Lowell, that's definitely not a common name."

* * *

**Wow. okay.**

**I can't say this chapter was meant to be this** _**long **_**ಠ****_****ಠ****, but I can tell you that I finally got the words onto the paper and onto the computer.**

**...And now you're reading it.**

**This took so many nights, I'm glad I can freaking publish another chapter. Chapter three may take some time, maybe it won't. Hopefully, the story can begin in a few more chapters and then I can focus onto the good beans.**

**If you want to come along this journey with me, make sure you follow and like the story** **\ (•◡•) / ! I'm really glad that I can finally get my words out, it's nice to know that there are others who feel the same too even by just taking interest in it.**


	3. A Needless Fight

**(¬_¬) This chapter came out later than I thought it would- it's shorter than the previous chapter since I crammed all day and night on this (and some other future scenes that I'm legally not allowed to talk about).**

**mainly due to procrastination - but I'm telling you, _I've been having some real weird dreams about Yuri _****ಠ~ಠ**

**...I may be going insane,**

**but that's a sacrifice I'm willing to make.**

* * *

Chapter 3 - A Needless Fight

It was the next morning, and the three were already headed on their way to Zaphias. As usual, they fought their way through the monsters that lived on the plains. Some did not care for attacking the group and kept to their own business- watching them, in case they were the next target.

"It's strange to see some of the monsters just stare at us instead of attacking or running away." Estelle remarked, she finished off a monster with a final slash of her sword. She looked over to Yuri who also finished his own battle, "As long as they don't bother us, I think it's fine." Yuri replied, looking over to the small pack of wolves that stayed a distance away "it is weird how there are different monsters from other places." Yuri stated as Repede took to his side, letting out bark of agreement "Do you think they're migrating?" Estelle asked, making contact with their strange blue eyes "Well, the world did change because of us. Maybe this is just one of the changes." Yuri shrugged, and continued their walk onwards to the imperial capital.

Estelle lingered briefly, they definitely seemed different. She just wasn't sure what it was. "Estelle, you coming?" Yuri called out, he was just a short distance away from her, and the pink-haired woman broke contact with the monsters. "Coming!"she called back, taking to the swordsman and his dog's side.

~\\.L./~

"Identification?" the tired and disgruntled voice of the orange clothed knight stared at Yuri as he pulled out a leather and metal badge with a symbol of a grand silver star around a compass circle. "I'm here on official guild business, is this enough?" the swordsman asked, while Estelle watched the knight examine the guild seal. "Well?" Yuri questioned, getting annoyed with the whole process. The knight looked at the three, recognizing who they were. "Brave Vesperia is it? Go on ahead, but be careful around the upper quarters."

"Thanks." Yuri replied, heading through the gate to the lower quarter. Estelle quickly bowed in thanks and headed through. She had lagged behind, but as she approached the center square she couldn't help but smile at the sight of Yuri suddenly being surrounded by the children of the lower quarter.

"Hey! I know you guys missed me but you don't have to run into me." Yuri remarked as the kids jumped and hugged him. "Yuri! We missed you so much!" "Yeah, everyone was wondering where you were!" they cried with joy as Yuri smiled and patted the heads of the kids. He turned to see Estelle approach them. "Looks like you've been gone for too long, Yuri." Estelle giggled, she looked over to where Repede was: he laid on the ground rather proudly as a few older children stroked his fur gently. "Repede looks like he's having fun." Estelle noted with a smile, she looked around and could see that there were many people walking around and carrying on their business. Yuri let out a slightly annoyed sigh as the children ran and jumped around him "If this is going to happen every time I come then-"

"YURI LOWELL!" the interrupting shout of a woman stepping out of the inn had the children stop with a smirk before snickering and saying 'Oooooooo!' in unison. "You're in trouble now, Yuri!" they laughed and quickly scattered away from the Innkeeper who stomped towards Yuri with an angered look on her face. Estelle gasped, putting her hands to her mouth as the middle aged woman whacked the back of Yuri's head, "You are long overdue for a visit, Young man!" she huffed angrily, tapping her foot on the ground. Yuri looked at her dully as he rubbed his head "I'm in a guild now, I can't always be here." he argued, which earned him another swift whack-to which Estelle slightly cringed at.

"You '_Mister-I'm-in-a-Guild-now_' still live here! And I expect that you visit more often, despite your rambunctious adventures!" she huffed out once more, as Yuri continued to rub the back of his head. "Yeah okay, Miriam. I'll try to visit more often." he nonchalantly replied with a wave of his hand, the Innkeeper narrowed her eyes at him but turned to Estelle who approached them.

"Estelle, have you been him in line?" she asked with her arms crossed, while Estelle smiled nervously "I haven't exactly seen Yuri that much until recently, but he seems to be doing okay." she replied, and although Yuri still earned the strict gaze of the Innkeeper. Miriam sighed before giving a warm smile at Estelle, placing a kind hand on her arm "Well, it's good to see you both again." she replied, as the loud bark of Repede drew Miriam's attention towards the dog who approached her. "Don't forget Repede." Yuri smiled with a hand on his hip, as Miriam kneeled down to pet him "Of course, how could I?" she replied with a small smile, stroking the top of his head.

It was then the yelling of a familiar kid who came crying towards the group. The youngest child of the Innkeeper, Ted, saw Yuri when his eyes widened and rushed towards him "YURI!" he yelled, as he knocked into the swordsman "Ted! I told you to cut out that yelling!" Miriam scolded, but Ted didn't listen as he tugged on Yuri's tunic "Hey! I get that I've been gone a long time, but I haven't been gone forever." Yuri replied as Ted looked up to him in tears "Yuri! You have to help me, Donnovan's in another fight!" he remarked as Yuri's eyes widened before he looked over to Miriam, "When has Donnovan been getting into fights?" he asked her as she let out a long sigh "Who's Donnovan?" Estelle asked curiously "Donnovan was one of the kids me and Flynn used to play with. He's always been wimpy so I'm surprised to hear this." Yuri replied, he turned back to Ted who was still crying "Where's Donnovan, Ted?" "He's in the dark alley near Old Man Fred's!" Ted replied as Yuri and Repede bolted off in the direction. "Wait up!" Estelle called out to the duo before turning to Miriam with a determined look "We'll get Donnovan, don't worry!"

~\\.L./~

Holding his arms up to his face, the drunk knight in blue continued to swing his punches hard. "You punk kid, you're just Lower Quarter scum!" he yelled with a slur as Donnovan gritted his teeth for the next one. Despite his struggle to continue standing against the drunkard, Donnovan stepped forward to swing his fist toward's his opponent's face. Even though the man was drunk, he caught his fist in his hand and with his other-uppercutted the teen, effectively knocking him down on the ground. Stunned from the swift attack, Donnovan's stomach and body was kicked by the hard boot of the knight. The knight's face had a few bruises, but his eyes were wide with anger.

"You think you can just let that girl get away? She was mine, you hear me?!" He continued to yell, as Donnovan cried out in pain- "I CAN'T HEAR YOU!" he raged, all the while Donnovan's vision blurred. But on the ground, he saw a blur of black and blue race towards them.

~\\.L./~

Yuri dropped his sword, bolting at the drunkard before grabbing his shoulder, whipping him around as he bashed the face of the knight with his spiked knuckle duster. Not knowing what hit the man, Yuri followed up with his knee to the man's gut. The drunken knight coughed up saliva and staggered back, briefly seeing the enraged, dark eyes of the man before Yuri grabbed his shoulders-slamming his forehead hard into the man's own.

Crying out in pain, the knight stumbled back and before he had a chance to recover, Repede jumped at the staggering man- biting his leg hard. Repede sank his teeth in deep before letting go, as the knight fell back and slid a few feet towards the front of the alley. Dazed, hurt, and confused, the drunken knight looked up to see Yuri glare darkly upon him while cracking his knuckles. Repede growled and moved towards his body. Fearfully, the knight struggled to his feet and scurried away, loudly shouting "D-Demon! He's a Demon!"

Quickly, Yuri turned to Donnovan laying on the ground "Hey, Wake up kid!" Yuri shouted, propping him up as the footsteps of Estelle came rushing towards the three. "Yuri, are you-!" she gasped as she saw the teen battered and bruised. She wasted no time and fell to her knees as she began healing him. "What could've happened?" she asked with concern, as Yuri moved to the entrance of the Alleyway. He looked around carefully to make sure there was no others "Damn knights, what was Flynn thinking letting that guy in?" Yuri scowled, he looked to Repede who was beside him. "Repede, make sure there's no one else." he ordered, but the look in his partner spoke _Already on it_. and raced off.

Yuri headed back over to Estelle, she worked hard on her healing and was deeply focused on it. "Dammit Donnovan, what have you been getting into." Yuri muttered angrily, but it wasn't towards the older teen or at the knight.

Yuri knew that it was most likely his fault for being a troublemaker.

"Yuri, he's waking up." Estelle called, as Yuri turned his attention to Donnovan who still appeared dazed. Donnovan looked around, he had blacked out and it was hard for him to see with the soft silver and blue light. He let out a groan as he touched his head "You okay there?" Yuri asked, he kneeled beside him as Donnovan stared at him with wide eyes, "Yuri? What are you doing here?"

"Your kid brother asked me to save your ass." Yuri replied with a sigh, his reply made the teen chuckle which only caused him more pain "Please try to stay still, you have a broken rib and some sprained bones." Estelle stated as she closed her eyes to focus once more, "Ted is always worrying about me, but I've dealt with worse."

"Donnovan, what were you thinking?" Yuri demanded, there was a stern look in his eyes and it made Donnovan look away "You don't need to treat me like a kid anymore, Yuri. I'm going to be an adult soon, so stop acting like your better than me." Donnovan replied angrily, however he didn't expect Yuri to grab his shirt collar and forcibly pull it towards him "Yuri-!" Estelle cried out, almost losing her focus.

"You want to start acting like an adult? Then stop getting into needless fights that almost get you killed." Yuri harshly spoke, he looked at Donnovan's shocked face "What if I wasn't here to get you out of that? You could've died, leaving Ted without a big brother and your mother without her eldest son." the swordsman's words put a strain of guilt in the teen, he looked away regretfully as Yuri left go of his shirt-letting him lean back on the wall silently. Yuri sighed, releasing the pent up feeling in his chest. And gave him a kinder look "You're the man of your house, don't leave that responsibility to Ted." as Yuri said this, Donnovan went silent-stewing in his thoughts

"That knight was after someone." Donnovan admitted softly but immediately cringed with the feeling of his bones snapping back into place. "They were after someone?" Yuri inquired, now curious of the teen's reasoning. Donnovan took in heavy breaths "Y-Yeah, there was a healer who came here a few weeks ago. She was looking for someone, but instead healed the residents here from the supposed sickness that was going around." he explained as Estelle took a heavy breath as her healing artes stopped. "I did all I could, you'll have to take it easy for a few weeks." she explained but stayed in her spot to briefly rest "So, who was this person?" Estelle asked as Donnovan slowed his breathing. "She never gave her name, but I remembered seeing her being dragged away by a few of Flynn's newer knights later that night. I rushed in to help her and told her to run away. They were talking about taking her to some weird place for a reward." He replied, still looking down until he saw Yuri's hand outstretched to him. Taking it, he was pulled up and looked at Yuri's cool smirk "Now that is something an adult would do."

~\\.L./~

Ted waited by the Old Aque fountain, he sat on the ledge as a few of the kids ran and jumped around the empty fountain. He swung his legs back and forth, kicking the stone with his heel. "Ted, look over there!" one of the girls shook his shoulder as he saw her pointing to four figures walking towards them. Ted immediately recognized them and rushed to his mother, slamming open the inn door.

"Moooooommmm!" Ted shouted loudly, his yell caused his mother to stomp over to him with a soup spoon in her hand "That is the last time I heard that racket from you!" she yelled, whacking the spoon in her hand- "Mom! Yuri brought Donnovan back!" he happily shouted, racing out the door. Miriam sighed, untying her apron and putting her spoon down as she stomped outside. Her eyes widened as she saw Donnovan's beaten up appearance and his leaning limp on Yuri. Tears started filling her eyes as she hurried over to him. Yuri let Donnovan stand on his own as Miriam quickly embraced her son "Stupid son of mine! Look how hurt you've gotten yourself!" she cried, as Donnovan's eyes showed guilt across his beaten up face "What would I have done if I lost you like your father? To some stupid, useless noble I bet!" she hugged him tighter, causing him to seize up in pain-but said nothing. "I'm Sorry...mom." he quietly replied and felt Ted's head gently knock against him leg.

Estelle walked over to Miriam and lightly tapped her shoulder, "I healed Donnovan's more serious injuries, but he should get a lot of rest to heal his sprained leg." Estelle explained before Miriam smiled and took Estelle's hand- shaking them in appreciation "Thank you Estelle, Yuri." she turned to the swordsman and smiled before giving him a hug "Don't worry about Miriam, I'm just did what needed to be done." he replied with a slightly flustered look. Miriam let go of Yuri and turned back to Donnovan who grabbed his arm in a limp posture "I'm putting this one to bed, and I hope you three come back before you leave again. Especially you Yuri, I need to talk to you about something." she had a serious look on her face briefly before waving them goodbye with a smile.

Yuri thought about what Miriam said and that look on her face, he wasn't entirely sure what she would want to tell him-but he figured it was most likely another lecture. "Shall we go?" Estelle asked, looking over to Repede who headed over to the two from being pet once more by the older children. "Yeah, we should see what Flynn wants." he replied as the two made their way to the upper quarter.

Repede briefly stayed, looking over to Hanks house with a quiet stare before heading up to his Master and Estelle.

~\\.L./~

"It's quieter than usual." Yuri noted, seeing how there was rarely anyone outside. The daytime was one of the busiest times in the Citizen's Quarter, and it was off putting for him to see very little. "Yes, with the plague going around many people have either fallen ill or left to Halure. Sadly, many don't have a form of identification to return to the capital." Estelle replied with a somber tone. Repede walked ahead, looking around for any sign of the man before. "That explains why it so cramped there." Yuri sighed as he watched as Repede headed into an alleyway by himself.

"Is it too busy there for you?" Estelle asked, there was softness in her voice-a displeased tone. "Mainly in the streets, but not so much in your neighborhood." he replied as they headed up the hill, Estelle slowly breathed in a deep breath as her fingers twitched-wanting to move to her chest "Oh, that's good." she replied, trying to hide her smile. Although Yuri could see the corners of her lips twitch "Is there a reason why you asked?" he inquired, finding it curious to why she would hide a smile. "N-No reason, I was just hoping you'd come over for tea again. Nothing more." she spoke rather quickly and hurried up faster "Come on, we're not far now." she demanded with a lightness to her step. "Alright, I'm coming." Estelle heard Yuri call out behind her.

_That was close._ She thought with a blush across her cheeks, she felt slightly lightheaded at what had happened. _Of course, it'd be just as friends. There's nothing wrong with having tea between friends, Rita and i do have tea with each other whenever she could come over._ She reassured herself, thinking back to her most recent visit with Yuri at her home.

"_I am your guest after all."_

Estelle's face turned bright pink as she put her hands to her cheeks and shook head _N-No, obviously he meant nothing by that- guest, Guest. That's what he was, my guest of course._ She closed her eyes and nodded silently as her self-reassurance.

"Estelle, you okay?" Yuri's voice interrupted her thoughts and shook her, causing her to trip on a loose stone. Seeing her world turn downwards, her hand was quickly grabbed by Yuri's, keeping her from hitting the ground. She watched as she was pulled up to her feet by the swordsman "That was close, you good?" he asked as she stared at him briefly "Y-Yes, thanks." she distantly replied before shaking her head and dusting herself off. "Sorry, I'll be more careful." "It's okay, you don't need to apologize." he smiled, continuing on his way up.

Estelle pondered what may have happened if she tumbled to the ground with Yuri trying to pull her up. Thinking back to all the romance novels she had read in the castle library, her cheeks burned up once more. Now she would be more careful about watching her step, that was something she definitely wouldn't want to happen. Of course she wouldn't…

Then again, she wouldn't mind if it did happen.

* * *

**I wanted to deviate from the main storyline a little bit, I had this idea about the Innkeeper, Ted's, and the guy in the beginning of the game who was leaning on the wall in the red and green coat. I thought that Miriam was a good name for her, it just came to me when she yelled at Ted and talked sternly to Yuri inside the Inn. I really liked the concept of the NPC characters I had wanted to build up on.**

**If you like the story, make sure you follow and favorite! I promise it will kick up in a few more chapters \ (•◡•) /**


	4. The Promise of Return

**oof** **(¬_¬)**

**Can't exactly defend myself for not posting a chapter in over a month, so here's an extra longer chapter as an apology.**

* * *

**Chapter 4 - The Promise of Return**

It was a strange sight to see the noble quarter without the wandering nobility around. Only a few Knights stood guard to the entrance and exit of the upper quarter and Zaphias gates.

As Yuri and Estelle approached the knights who stood guard at the upper quarter entrance, they appeared to be on high alert on the possibility of intruders. It wasn't strange to see this, but for Yuri he could tell something was off and recalled Kaufman's statement

"_...Either the new Emperor really cares for his people, or something much higher up is happening."_

"Something wrong Yuri?" Estelle asked, as Yuri shook his head "Just thinking about something back at Deidon Hold." he replied as he and Estelle approached the guards. They wore orange and red colors on their uniforms, clearly showing that they were of the Leblanc Brigade. "Excuse me, could you please let us through?" Estelle asked as the two knights looked at each other "L-Lady Estellise, welcome back." the left one hurriedly replied as the right guard coughed, Yuri watched as the left knight immediately elbowed the other- letting them pass through "And you are?" the right one inquired towards the swordsman, skeptical about him. Yuri narrowed his eyes towards him "Yuri Lowell from the guild Brave Vesperia."

"I see, we've been told to let you through by orders of the Commandant." the left one replied, before the right guard cleared his throat, gaining the attention of the swordsman "Yuri Lowell, I hear you're close with Commandant Flynn." the knight began, earning a suspicious look from Yuri "why do you want to know?" he asked, seeing how the right knight shuffled nervously, he leaned in towards Yuri "You haven't seen him around, have you?" he asked in a quiet voice but loud enough for Estelle to hear as well. The other knight quickly shook his head and cursed at the right knight "You fool, we aren't supposed to talk about that!" he whispered harshly as Yuri glared at the two "Talk about what exactly?" he asked, but received no answer. Growing upset by the minute, Yuri moved towards the right knight "If something happened, then you need to tell me now."

"W-Well you see-" The right knight halted his words as he looked behind Yuri where a familiar carrot-headed knight stood. She cleared her throat which made the two knights tense up and resume their positions. "Sodia?" Estelle looked at the stern, orange haired woman. She had darkened circles under her eyes as she turned to both Yuri and Estelle "Please, follow me." she spoke, her voice sounded slightly weary despite the usual hardness in her tone. "I don't suppose you know anything about what they were saying." Yuri inquired, as he approached her. Her posture was stiff and tense, darting her eyes away from the swordsman.

"What's happened to Flynn?" Estelle demanded, her voice raising and borderline anxious. Sodia looked around and took in a heavy breath "It's best not to talk in the open." she quietly replied, heading to the castle entrance "_please_, follow me." she hastily pleaded. Yuri sighed following her and Estelle who hurried into the castle. A growing, upset feeling slowly took over. He would remain calm until hearing what was happening, but something inside him told him that something shady was definitely going on. With both the knight that attacked Donnovan and Kaufman's words, he prepared to hear the worst.

**~\\.L./~**

Through the silent halls of the castle, Estelle's mind swarmed about what the two guards had spoken of and how Sodia's silence about it worried her greatly. She couldn't imagine what happened, and all of the worse case scenarios muddled her brain:

_What if it was a repeat of last year?_

_Could Flynn have gotten hurt?_

_Why didn't those guards know where he was?_

_Of course it could be that Flynn is swamped with paperwork, but…._

_It didn't explain why Sodia gave off a tired and weak appearance._

"Are they sick too?" Yuri's question pulled Estelle out of her thoughts as she saw the sight Yuri looked upon. She frowned as they passed the kitchen, seeing both weakened commoners and sickly nobles alike being healed by Royal Healers and Knights who also let out a few coughs. There were even some knights who had fallen ill as well. It was vague, but Yuri could tell there was something strange about them, something unsettling about their sickness.

"Yes, with many of the nobles fallen ill to the recent sickness there were also quite a few people from the citizen's quarter falling ill. There are researchers holed up in Aurion and here in Zaphias trying to make sense of what is happening." Sodia explained as she kept her straighten posture even more tense than before "Does that mean Rita is here?" Estelle asked with a hopeful tone in her voice, only to receive Sodia's shake of the head "I'm afraid Rita Mordio is not currently here, although she did visit briefly- she only came for a few hours to check on the status of the sickly citizens." "Oh, that's a shame." Estelle dejectedly commented, Yuri glanced over to her seeing her saddened expression

As they came to a long hallway, a noblewoman who had been speaking to another noticed the three approaching. She looked at Estelle and approached her with a smile as Sodia politely stopped to bow.

"Lady Estellise," she smiled with a bow as Estelle did the same, "Duchess Erlton, it's been a while." she replied with a courteous tone, the noblewoman appeared to be a common noble, save for her embroidered house crest on her yellow and orange dress. "Have you come to return to the castle?" she asked, there was a sweet smile on her face and her voice dripped like honey. It was the common tone any noble would use to get their way, something that Yuri was used to hearing but even more irritating each time he heard it. "I'm afraid not, we're just here to speak with Flynn." she replied as a piqued look appeared on the noblewoman's face "We..?" she inquired as Estelle gestured to Yuri "This is Yuri Lowell, he's a good friend of mine and Flynn's." Estelle explained as the Duchess turned to him, her smile faltering briefly as she stared at him.

"Something wrong?" he asked, as he noticed a glint in her brown eyes-something he didn't like. She shook her head, but still had the look in her eyes ``It's not everyday the castle welcomes such...Esteemed guests, but times are changing. I would think His Highness and Commandant Scifo would take better care than to let anyone in." As she said this, Yuri narrowed his eyes. His fingers twitching as she tilted her head. "Yuri's part of a guild that helps with both the imperial capital and the guild city." Estelle explained, but did not say anything to the common rudeness of the noble

"Through here." Sodia ordered lightly, leading them along a familiar hallway. "You're not locking me up again are you?" Yuri joked, receiving a scoff from Sodia as they approached the dungeon "Fortunately for you, it's just a quiet place where we can speak in private." Sodia stated as the three of them entered the familiar room Yuri had known so well. Inside, there were no guards but Flynn's right-hand mage, Witcher, had tapped his foot in annoyance.

"It's about time you two got here, what took you so long?" he demanded as Estelle bowed in apology "We got caught up in some events at Deidon Hold, I'm truly sorry for not being here sooner." Estelle replied as Witcher took a step back "U-uh sorry, Lady Estellise. I wasn't thinking." he quickly apologized with a bow. Yuri looked at the two, annoyed with the small talk "We got a letter from Flynn saying that he needed help from Brave Vesperia, is he okay?" Estelle asked, turning to Sodia who had a nervous look on her face "W-Well, you see...Flynn is-" Sodia stuttered but was cut off by Yuri's exasperated sigh. "You can get in real trouble for plagiarizing an official letter, especially if it's from the Commandant." he replied, giving Sodia and Witcher a hard look. Estelle's eyes widened, pulling out the letter to see the suspected handwriting of Flynn being slightly off kilter. "How long have you known?" Sodia calm asked, seeing the swordsman wave his hand "pretty much the whole time after re-reading it a few times, I noticed there was something wrong with the wording and the amount of ink." as he explained this, Estelle continued to find the mistakes as Yuri mentioned

"You don't know the whole story, so don't look at us like we're criminals." Witcher hostility spat, but backed off as he earned a narrowed look from the swordsman "Then why don't you try explaining it to us?" as Witcher looked away, Sodia pulled out a closed envelope with the true handwriting of Flynn addressing it to Yuri. "He said that if we didn't receive a message from him to give you this." Sodia explained as Yuri took the envelope, seeing his name written in fine ink. Estelle leaned over Yuri's shoulder as he opened the letter, reading it word for word.

_Yuri,_

_I'm sure you already know about the plague going around. _

_If you haven't heard from Sodia yet, his Majesty has fallen ill._

_I've set on a quest to find the rumored healer called The Plague Doctor in order to find a cure for both his Majesty and the people of Zaphias. I'm planning on heading to Aurion for information. But if you are reading this, it means that I need Brave Vesperia and your help to continue what I couldn't._

_May this find you well,_

_Flynn_

_Dammit Flynn, what does that even mean? _Yuri thought as Estelle gasped "Estelle?" he asked as he turned around to see the princess run out of the room. "I assume Flynn included his Majesty's condition?" Witcher inquired as Yuri folded up the paper back into the envelope. "How long has he been gone?" Yuri demanded, his question stopped the two knights from speaking as Yuri clenched his fists "I asked you, How long has Flynn been gone?" he spoke in a low voice. Sodia bit her lip, turning away from his hardened gaze.

"...three weeks."

As Sodia said this, her fingers flinched at the look of Yuri's angered stare "And you just decided not to go out looking for him yourselves?" "Hey! We had our own orders from the Commandant, don't act like you can just assume we didn't do anything!" Witcher shouted, staring at the swordsman with a heated look. "And yet, the only thing you thought you could do to help Flynn was to send a fake letter to Brave Vesperia instead of searching for your Commandant yourselves." Yuri's accusation shut up Witcher, realizing what the swordsman had said but turned away angrily at this. "You're right, Yuri Lowell." Sodia admitted, earning the flabbergasted look of Witcher "If you don't want to take the job, then I'll go myself." Sodia offered as it seemed like Witcher was trying to refute her words "It's a little too late for that, don't you think?" Yuri asked, silencing the two knights.

"I'll do what you both couldn't, but not because you asked me." Yuri stated, turning away from the two to head up the stairs "So you'll take the job?!" Witcher asked excitedly. Yuri turned his head slightly with a bitter look in his eyes "I'm not doing this as a guild job, I'm doing this because Flynn's my friend." As the swordsman said this, he walked out of the dungeon- leaving the two knight's alone in silence.

~\\.L./~

Estelle approached her cousin's room, guarded by two knights of the Leblanc Brigade. She quickly recognized them as Adecor and Boccos and approached the two as they noticed her.

"Your Highness! I say, welcome back to the castle." Adecor greeted as he and Boccos saluted the Princess "Although, I suppose you are not here just to exchange formalities." Boccos quickly insinuated, the two knights frowned as she shook her head. "No, I'm here to see Emperor Ioder." She replied, her words alone were well enough to have the two knights let her through "Please do take care Princess, he is quite unwell." Boccos spoke somberly, he and Adecor watched the Princess head through the door, quickly closing it.

Inside the room was very dark, the only light came from the dim daylight that peaked through the curtained windows and There was a slight build up of dust in the air. The sound of a weak cough filled the silence, and Estelle hurried over to the bed where sheer curtains of the bed blocked out more of the light around the room.

"Estell...ise?" Her cousin's voice was unmistakably weak and throaty, even as he spoke there was a cough either in the middle of his words or after. "Ioder, I'm here." She replied, opening the curtains to his bedside. However, she stopped at the sight of him. He looked incredibly ghastly, his cheeks were thin, and he did not have the same color in his eyes and skin as before. "Ioder, what happened?" she questioned as she slowly pulled the rest of the drapes away; his facial features even more clear. "I'm not…sure. But apparently, everyone has been getting sick." He softly spoke, his words were almost slurring and repeating them as well. Estelle's eyes narrowed, trying to see where the sickness originated.

"Estellise…you might get sick too." He warned as she shook her head while casting her healing artes on him, muttering the spell under her breath. As the arte was cast, it was a silver light but with a blue tint that centered on his chest. as Ioder took a breath, his throat no longer sounded rough- but she wasn't sure how long it would last. "Thank you, Estellise. But there have already been healer's here. It just keeps coming back." He let out another cough, it sounded better this time, but Estelle knew it wouldn't last very long. She looked down, scrunching her dress fabric up. "I really wish we hadn't seen each other like this. It's been so long since I've come to visit." She trailed off; her eyes stung despite wanting to hold back the onset of tears and her stomach twisted. "I just… I just really wish I was here to help. Dahngrest had also been facing the same. But it's worse over there than here. Maybe if I had been here sooner…" her chest burned as she choked back on her tears, if it weren't for Ioder's reassuring hand she would've started sobbing.

"Estellise, I'm glad that you're here. I'm not sure what it is, but your healing artes feel a lot better than the Court Healers that have been here recently." Ioder smiled, Estelle looked up, perhaps it was the source of her powers that took away some of his pain. But she could see right through his smile and his cold hands that he was still in pain. Estelle wiped away her tears, smiling sadly "Thank you…but even after the conversion, it feels like my artes have weakened. That maybe I'm no longer the Child of the Full Moon and… and without..."

"Estellise, you shouldn't say stuff like that." Ioder cut in with a frown, he had a serious look on his face despite being so pale. "You are Estellise Sidos Heurassein, whether or not you have the title of Princess, or Child of the Full Moon, you'll always have your power to heal others. Maybe in different ways than before." Estelle stared at her cousin, it was encouragement, but perhaps there was truth in it as well. She stood up with determination in her eyes. "I'll go find the cure to this, and I'll bring it back without fail!" she stated, quickly bowing and about to take her leave when Ioder grabbed her wrist. She looked back at him, his grip felt weak but there was a shaking of his fist. "Ioder?" she asked, seeing a serious look on his face. "Estellise...Now that I've become Emperor, I have access to the Emperor's Library."

"You mean the one where every Emperor hold's their secret books?" she asked, sitting back where she once was. "Yes...and I've discovered something...terrible." he replied, letting go of her wrist as he pulled out a piece of gald from underneath his pillow. He placed it in her hand, and as she looked at it- it became obvious that the gald coin was different, one side had silver and the other was gold. "Estellise, you need to know that-" a sudden knock on the door interrupted Ioder's words. Estelle has turned away from Ioder to the door. "_Your Majesty, Councilwoman, Trisha Erlton, has requested to see you immediately._" the voice of Adecor through the door had made Estelle curious but was turned back to face Ioder from his hand on her shoulder. He quickly pulled her close and spoke in a lower voice

"_Do not blindly place your trust, and I pray that Delvora's Grace does not befall any of you._"

As Estelle listened, she pulled back in confusion but Ioder had already called in the noble. "I do apologize, your Majesty. But there are matters of the budget of Zaphias that are very important." the councilwoman replied with a bow before seeing Estelle "Lady Estellise, I'm afraid this is matters between the council and the Emperor." she spoke as Estelle stood up to give a polite bow. "I understand, I do hope everything is sorted out." Estelle smiled, folding her fingers together. "And to you as well." Trisha apologized as Estelle shook her head "It was very nice to see you again." Estelle replied, turning back to Ioder with a bow. "Don't worry about me Estellise, I'm sure you'll find the cure." Ioder smiled as Estelle nodded before hurrying out

As the Emperor watched her leave, he did so with a smile and a sigh. "It was nice to see you…even if it'll be too late."

**~\\.L./~**

"I say! You will not pass through, Yuri Lowell!" "This is the private room of the Esteemed Emperor Ioder, you will not have your way this time!" Yuri sighed as he placed a hand on his hip, looking at the two knights with a dull expression "Does it look like I'm trying to bust through? Once a Tweedle, always a Tweedle."

"I say, don't call me that!"

"I'm not a _Tweedle_, You're a Tweedle!"

Yuri rolled his eyes as the two guards readied their weapons for a fight, and while Yuri felt tempted to kick their butts once more, he turned to the opened door to see Estelle walk out "Yuri?" she asked curiously, looking at the scene before her. Her voice startled the two tweedled knights as they halted their actions and saluted her "Y-Your Highness! Forgive our rudeness, we were just about to teach this man a lesson!" they spoke simultaneously, earning a small laugh from the princess as she shook her head "You two know that Yuri's with me, there's no need for fighting right now." she replied, turning away from the two knight's who still saluted her. "Apologizes, Lady Estellise. It shall not happen again." they spoke in unison once more as the two left.

As they walked through the halls, Yuri easily noticed Estelle's puffy eyes that she kept rubbing. "You okay?" he asked, earning a surprised look from his friend. She nodded and let her arms swing gracefully "I'm fine, did you find out where Flynn is?" she asked with a rush her words, changing the topic even though Yuri could see what was going on and could only imagine what she was going through. Still, he did not pester the thin-threaded subject. "I have a good idea where to start, but I definitely don't have a good feeling about this. We should make our way to Nor Harbor; I'll tell you about after we leave the city." Yuri explained, "didn't Miriam want to talk to you?" Estelle asked, her question had Yuri sighing "Yeah, I definitely don't want to get on her bad side after what happened. And I'm wondering about what Donnovan had said." as Yuri said this Estelle smiled, "Well, after we find Repede we should head over to the inn."

~\\.L./~

They made their way out of the noble quarter, the two knights from before did not speak to them but it still seemed like they wanted to know the situation. As Yuri and Estelle made their way down the paved hill, Repede came rushing back with something in his mouth.

"Good job Repede." Yuri praised as the blue dog gave him what appeared to be a paper with dot's and lines "Hey Estelle, isn't this from that machine Rita made recently?" Yuri asked but received no answer, he turned to see Estelle looking at a small object and most likely lost in her thoughts. "Hey Estelle, you awake?" he asked, waving a hand in front of her face. She looked at him and shook her head "Sorry Yuri, what were you saying?" "Repede found a paper with some code on it, it might be from Rita's newer inventions." he explained as Estelle looked at the coded paper curiously "This is from Rita's prototype machine that can transmit messages from across two cities." Estelle explained as she tried reading the coded message "she was using Witcher's lightning rods right? Something for the Empire and Dahngrest to communicate with."

"Yes, but it wasn't working. And then Rita holed herself in her newer lab for a while at Aurion. Maybe we should ask her about it?" Estelle suggested as Yuri nodded, "sounds good, but we still have somethings to take care of here first." Yuri replied as he looked back at Estelle who looked back at her hands, he could see it was a coin but it didn't look like an ordinary piece of gald. The swordsman looked back at Repede and shrugged-they continued to make their way down. And though Estelle followed, she was too busy focusing on what Ioder gave her.

It was double sided, one gold, one silver. For it being in the Emperor's Library, it was in good condition. On the gold side, she could read the vague inscription that was written, but for some reason the inscription was something she couldn't make sense of, they were letters that were scrambled up. Even so, the gold seemed to shine brighter in the sun that it did in the castle halls, no to mention there was a picture of a sun on it.

Turning the thick coin around, the other side was silver and had a picture of the moon. But for some reason she could read the inscription as clear as day.

_May Lunavera's Light guide you to judgement_

The name, Lunavera, seemed familiar. It must've been from a book she had read before in the castle, most likely something that was easy to forget. Unlike the golden side, the silver didn't glow as much-in fact, it was an incredibly dull shine despite the sun being out. Looking up, the blue sky became active with clouds. She frowned at the sight, hoping that rain wouldn't come before they set back out.

**~/L.Q.L\~**

* * *

****The Wonders of Rita Mordio pt. 1**

Yuri looked at Estelle's distant look, whatever she and Ioder spoke about certainly did not mean good news. At the same time, the whole Flynn ordeal definitely pissed him off. Perhaps he shared the same feelings as Estelle, though he knew that if Estelle saw him worried she'd only get more anxious than she already was.

They walked down the long steps into the citizen's quarter in silence, lost in thought. It wasn't until Yuri stopped as he heard Repede's growl. "What is it, Repede?" he asked, looking around. Estelle stopped soon after, trying to see what Repede was telling them. "What's wrong?"

"Hello! Hello!" a strange, static voice from around the corner brought Yuri and Estelle's attention to the item shop. On the counter was a small black box with buttons and holes inside. there was even an empty Blastia shell that glowed a faint blue "There's no one here?" Estelle looked around inside before she turned towards the sound of static-like waves from the box "Hello there, young lady!" the voice shouted once more, causing a shocked cry from her. Yuri stared at it in disbelief as he approached the device "It talks?"

"Why yes! My good sir, My name is Jim Decklin and I am speaking to you from this handy device called a R.A.D.I.O.! Commissioned to the Wonder News!" the voice was very lively and strange, there seemed to be static inside the black box-but the person on the other end was clear to hear. "What does R.A.D.I.O. stand for? And how was this made?" Estelle asked curiously, she was easily fascinated by the device and Yuri had to admit that he was too. "Why, That's a GREAT Question! R.A.D.I.O. stands for Rita Mordio's Automated Device of Information and Organization!" the voice laughed as Yuri sighed, "Of course it was Rita who designed this."

"Oh my gosh, I can't believe Rita made something like this!" Estelle laughed as she picked up the wired box and shook it "H-Hey! Put me down!" the voice yelped as Estelle tried looking inside the holes "Are you in there?" she wondered curiously as she put the box down "He's speaking through the end, there's another box he's using to talk to us." Yuri explained, however he looked around the wall of the shop "I do wonder, how can you see us?"

"Well, that's for me to know, and _You _to find out!" Jim laughed, but received no smile or reaction from Yuri and Estelle. The voice coughed as Yuri raised an eyebrow in question "I-I see, Tough crowd, eh? Well, I've got some news from around the world! Would you guys care to tune in?" the words of the Wonder Reporter was definitely intriguing, Yuri shrugged as Estelle nodded in agreement "You got any news on this sickness going around?" Yuri skeptically asked, earning a chuckle from the man on the other end.

"Seems like everyone's getting sick nowadays, no one really knows what is going on with this 'cold' but I did over hear some gossip! Apparently, some knights and guildmen are finding this 'cold' to be pretty similar to that whole _aersickness _months ago here in the capital! Rumor has it that the emperor had come down with it as well. You guys... wouldn't know anything about that by chance?" the voice inquired with a lower tone, Estelle looked to speak up but was stopped by Yuri's hand.

"I'm not sure where you got those rumors, but rumors are just rumors, right? They don't have any merit besides spreading lies." Estelle looked at Yuri with her mouth gapped slightly open. Jim chuckled as Yuri furrowed his brow "You are definitely a man of truth, my good sir! While it is only gossip of the disease, I did find a connection between this supposed 'cold' and the aersick crisis before: supposedly, there's been a mysterious figure running about Illycia. He's called the Plague Doctor, and the few that have reported getting into contact with him claim he was using some sort of healing arte that took away the sickness." Estelle's eyes widened with interest, "Healing arte?" she asked with a tilt of her head, but received no answer from the voice, "You tell us that you found a connection and you won't tell us what?" Yuri questioned but the voice did not speak anymore and simply fell silent.

Yuri turned away from the R.A.D.I.O., putting a hand to his chin, "This is the third time I've heard about this." He whispered, intrigued by the news the voice gave. He looked over to Repede who had laid down. The blue dog yawned as he stretched out his back, getting back on his paws. The swordsman turned back around to see Estelle poking the R.A.D.I.O. in hopes for the voice to come back "Estelle, we should head out now. I have a feeling that the Radio isn't going to speak any more." Yuri said as Estelle's expression turned to disappointment as they walked down to the Lower Quarter.

"Thanks for tuning into Jim News, Till next time!" the man spoke with excitement as the static tuned out and immediately grew silent.

* * *

**~/.L.\~**

From inside the Inn, there was a cry of pain from Donnovan. Cringing in pain as Miriam tightened the leather split around his leg "If you didn't want to be in pain, then you shouldn't have gotten into a fight like that." Miriam scolded as Donnovan cringed once more "I told you already, I was trying to save a-" "Don't you talk back to me, Young man!" Miriam shouted, whacking the back of her son's head. "Ouch! Okay, okay Mom!" he quickly apologized, flinching as Miriam gave him a harsh look. She continued to check the split, making sure it was steady and in place.

Donnovan looked to Ted, the young boy had a look of worry and pouted at the sight of his older brother. "Hey, What's wrong now?" he asked, Ted looked away before approaching him with his expression and disposition incredibly distraught. "Does it hurt…?" he asked with a small voice, it was one Donnovan wasn't used and took him back to that last time Ted had that small of a voice. Donnovan smiled, rubbing that top of his hair "You don't need to worry about me, I just did what I needed to do. That's all-OW!" Donnovan shouted as Miriam readjusted the split correctly "And now you're paying for it. You could learn a thing or two from your brother." Miriam replied, as she finished her work. Ted continued to have a saddened look, but once more Donnovan rubbed the top of his head.

"Sound's like you're having fun." Yuri chuckled as he and Estelle came in, Donnovan gave a pained smile as he rubbed the back of his head "Yeah, just having a swell time over here." Donnovan jested with a nervous chuckle, earning one last look from Miriam. "Would you like me to look at it again?" Estelle offered as she walked further in, but Miriam shook her head "He just needs to rest leg, it would serve him well to learn there's not always someone who can heal his brash injuries." she explained to her, Estelle's face fell as she couldn't help but want to ease the boy's pain "Thank's anyways, Estelle. It's like my mom said." Donnovan replied, earning a smile from Yuri "Well, it took you long enough to get here." Miriam sighed as Yuri walked up "Sorry about that, It took longer at the castle than we expected." Yuri apologized as he turned to Donnovan "Hey, we need to know more about what happened that night." Yuri started, surprising Donnovan "There's not much to say, really. If you're looking for that healer, I didn't catch a good look at her since she always wore a red cloak.

Yuri sighed but Miriam drew back his attention "Now that you've gotten your information from my stupid son, We need to talk." she spoke with the same seriousness as before, it was questionable but Yuri had no quarrel with it "I'm fine with that, what'd you want to say?" he asked, but Miriam directed him to the backroom of the Inn "It's not something I want to say around everyone." she explained, heading behind the counter. Yuri looked back to Estelle and towards the window where Repede laid down with the little kids playing with him once more. "I'll be right back." Yuri said to Estelle as she nodded, taking a seat next to Donnovan and Ted.

"Sit down, please." Miriam said as Yuri came into the room. He moved over to the wall where he leaned against it "I'm fine, so what'd you want to talk about?" "I'm serious, Please sit down." she demanded, but her words weren't harsh. Yuri obeyed, taking a nonchalant position in his chair. "Alright, I can tell something's going on. Seeing as you didn't want your kids to know." he replied, but for a while Miriam was silent. She had a stressed out look on her face, as if she didn't want to say anything. "Miriam, what's going-"

"Hanks is bedridden." Miriam's words caused Yuri's eyes to widen "What?" he asked in disbelief, there was look of shock on his face- he felt paralyzed at how clear her words were. "About a week ago, he collapsed on us and has been stuck in bed ever since." Still as clear as her words were, Yuri immediately stood up-knocking down his chair as he slammed his hand on the table "Where is he?!" he demanded, his reaction understandable but still surprising "He's at home, but Yuri you should know that-" he didn't take any longer to listen to her and rushed out, Miriam kept her gaze on her hands- not taking the effort to call him back.

"I see, so that's why you did it." Estelle replied to Donnovan, she had a look of understanding at his story and was about to say something consoling to him when she heard the rushing footsteps of Yuri who bolted out the door "Yuri?" she asked, but there was a look of urgency on his face even if she saw him for a brief second. "Wait, Yuri!" she called out, seeing through the window at the house he rushed up to. It was across from the Inn and he swung open the door before heading inside.

"I'm not sure if I've ever seen Yuri like that." Donnovan quietly spoke, he had a stunned look on his face and turned to Estelle "You should see what's going on, I'd go myself but… you know." Estelle nodded and hurried out the door.

"Hanks?" Yuri called out through the house, receiving no immediate answer, he called out once more-louder and more urgent. A minute later he heard a hoarse cough and groan

"Keep that racket down Yuri! You're almost as bad as Ted." Hanks' throaty voice continued with more coughing. Yuri hurried to Hanks' bedroom, past his broken fireplace where old framed pictures sat on the mantle.

Yuri turned the corner to see Hanks' pale face staring at him with an upset look. He propped himself up as Yuri entered his room and leaned on one of the walls. "You've always had a bad habit of barging through doors, when are you going to learn some manners?" he scolded weakly, Yuri chuckled in response but it wasn't one of laughter "Yeah? And you've always had a bad habit of overworking yourself." Yuri replied, his words caused a weak laugh from the old man. "Well, it doesn't seem like that habit will stay for very long." his words were distant, it was something he hadn't heard since his wife died. Yuri was just a kid then, but even he could tell how distant Hanks was then. It was the same now.

The swordsman looked at Hanks, the more he looked the worse the old man looked. "Is it the plague?" he asked, his tone serious despite Hanks scoff "You really think a sickness like that is going to get me down?!" he asked, insulted by Yuri's claim. With another harsh cough, Yuri almost moved towards him-his fingers flinching. Hanks looked out of his room, looking at something from the main room "Old age, Yuri. nothing can fix that." he explained with a softer, more somber tone. Yuri gritted his teeth and clenched his fist. Even being as cynical as he was, Hanks seemed to accept it. "I heard there was a plague doctor here about three weeks ago, did he do this to you?"

"Plague doctor? Are you talking about that healer? They couldn't stay very long, and they did offer their services, but I told them to focus on everyone else." Hanks explained, although it only upset Yuri more "Was everyone else that bad?" he asked, his voice quieter. Hanks sighed as he shook his head "Not as bad as me, but most of the people weren't in good shape." As Hanks said this, Yuri closed his eyes tight, silent for a moment before he pushed himself off the wall and headed towards the doorway. "Give me a week, I'll find them and bring them back."

"Now Yuri, no healing is going to help now. You might as well focus on your own life." Hanks insisted, narrowing his eyes. Yuri clenched his fist, turning away from him "one week, hold on until then." Yuri said once more, his voice was full of determination. And as Yuri headed out, Hanks could only sigh.

Yuri passed the pictures once more, not wanting to see the memories of back then.

Estelle and Repede stood outside the door, she had a knowing look on her face and seemed like she wanted to say something. "Yuri, I-" "Let's go, we don't have much time." Yuri replied, heading up first. She couldn't see his face, but she could feel how upset he was. Looking down, she folded her fingers together. Not knowing what she should do or say. By her side, Repede looked at her-it was an understanding look. She figured he must've felt the same way. "Let's hurry, Repede." she said as Repede barked in acknowledgement, hurrying after Yuri along with Estelle.

**~/.L.\~**

She could hear the storm clouds above, she knew she needed to hurry back. Gathering the last of the herbs she could find, she wrapped then in pieces of parchment before placing them in her satchel.

Hurrying out of the nearby forest, she moved along the field by the mountain, trying to avoid as many monsters as possible. A few got in her way, but she quickly took out the Hammerbeaks who approached her. From across the field, she could see Halure in the distance and wondered if she should stock up on more panacea bottles.

No, she had more concerning things to take care off. As as she approached the entrance, she looked around the area to make she she wasn't followed. From a wooden sign of warning, she brushed past the overgrown vines that kept the rocky tunnel out of sight.

It was dark as she moved through the tighter space, if she had more time she would've taken the path through the nearby ruins. But she didn't have time, and she could only hope to not get crushed by the weight of the rocks. Finally, she brushed aside more vines, entering the ruins of the cave city. Moving through the rubble, she took great care not to say anything as the ruined city of knowledge was not completely destroyed. Any thing she'd say could echo, and possibly lead her enemies to her location.

The great expanse of the city left much to be desire, there were huge holes and cracks in the ceiling of the mountain as well as massive craters in the earth below, awaiting only death to those who were careless. If the storm was worse than she'd expect, then she would have to take them both to somewhere else. Even then, where could she take them that was much safer than this place.

While she couldn't enter through what appeared to be the main entrance, there was a secondary way she went through. On the other side, she through another tunnel that appeared to be recently made. She wondered if it was made by the person who created the warning sign.

Within the room, it was silent and dark. Closing her eyes, a red arte circle appeared underneath her as she muttered 'Fire' and casted a small fire in the palm of her hand. With the light, she moved towards candles that on stone ledges that eventually lit up the room with light. Shaking the fire off her hand, it dissipated, leaving the room with a dimmer light than before. But it was just enough to do her work.

She assumed the place she was in was a library as some point as there were many ruined books and broken book shelves about.

"I'm back." she quietly greeted the emptiness of the room, heading over to one book shelf that was not destroyed. By the bookshelf was a torn up mat and a few books that were not completely destroyed, in another corner was a small pile of silver pieces of tarnished armor. Against the lowest shelf was a wooden board that covered it up. Pushing it aside, light shined on what was being hidden. She took off her satchel and searched through the items she had within. Fresh bandages, herbs and potions were what she took out. By her side there was also a used wooden mortar and pestle.

Grinding up an herbal paste, she slathered a good amount on a fresh bandage and turned to the person who slept on the hardwood. Pulling up their blue tunic, she replaced the old cloth that concealed a large stab wound on their side. It left a large scar, but was still fleshy. Taking a deep breath, she carefully placed the newer one on it and in the person's sleep, their face still cringed in pain. "I'm sorry, but this is the last one. I promise." she replied, knowing full well that her words wouldn't help. Closing her eyes, she placed her hands gently on the wound. Taking another deep and controlled breath as a silver and blue healing arte surrounded her hands and the wound. "I promise, after this you'll be better." she softly spoke, looking to the young man with sweat dripping down his face.

* * *

**This chapter was pretty rushed, I just wanted it to come out so I could continue with the story. Anyways, I'm hoping I could have the next chapter out sooner than last time. I do plan on making skits and doing side quests, I'm just waiting for more of the main characters to appear. In the meantime, I hope you guys have a good week!**


	5. 0

... -.-. .- .-. . -. - .- -

"Why did you spare me?" her voice was not the one he knew of, it was weak, desperate for his sword. Still, he sheathed his dagger on his hip. The black blade absorbing the moonlight that breached through the curtains. She stared at his loose disposition, and heard his drawn out sigh,

"We met on the battlefield a few times, I didn't expect you to be my target." he replied, looking at her with pity, and it angered her deeply "Don't give me that look, I might have died rather than be given pity." she snapped as she pushed herself away from the man, huddling her sheer robe tight.

He looked at her, confused before looking away with his gaze at his hand "I'm sorry, I wasn't trying to be condescending or the like." as he apologized, she watched his face soften; remembering that look from back at Terca Lumireis. Soft, and concerned. Even back then she didn't know him and neither did he.

As he turned away, her hand jerked forwards "W-wait! Where are you going?" her question did not make the man turn back, instead he picked up his Rapier across the floor "Like I said, I'm not going to kill a comrade and I much rather not know how you became the enemy Queen when you were presumed dead in action."

"Pity is it? Well why don't you kill me now and finish your mission?"

"If I did so, Asteria would have my head if she found out." He examined his second weapon in his hand, there was a dent in the blade-rendering it useless after one more strike. Frowning, he sheathed on his other hip- heading towards the window.

She knew she wouldn't have another chance as he carefully opened the sill "Please, before you leave-just finish your mission!" she pleaded once more, finally the man sighed and turned around "What is up with you? why are you so…" he stopped as soon as he looked at her, her voice was so desperate this entire time; How she tightly hugged what little cloth she had and how her face was drenched in sweat. Carefully, he shut the window. Slowly approaching her as her weary grey eyes met his,

"Are you in trouble?" he calmly questioned, only for her to look away. "Was it the King?" again, no response. He furrowed his brows, the next question would be the deciding factor:

"Was it..._Him_?" there it was, a flinch from the woman. Her nails dared to pierce through the sheer cloth and her skin. "...leverage."

"What?"

"I'm...I'm meant as leverage against _Zaphias_." her voice was smaller, weaker when she mentioned Zaphias. In other words, she meant the ruler, the one who once kept her close...Asteria. "He believes that if Lunavera intends to go all out that he'll use me against Asteria. He knows that he'll have the upper hand." His eyes widened as he heard this, shaking his head and holding his hand to his face "Lunavera listens only to Asteria, if there ends up being the slightest of conflict then everything falls apart."

"Asteria...she must've known about this possibility." he admitted with disbelief, he looked back at her and met with her eyes. There was an understanding between the two _If he doesn't get rid of her now, then it would be impossible to turn the tide against them_

His thoughts were interrupted by the sound of marching knights and the cries of alarm around the castle. He was found out.

"You must kill me now! There's no other way." she begged with a shout, but even he could see the strain in her expression. The sounds grew louder as his eyes darted around, but alas, there was no other way. He placed his shaking hand on the hilt of his rapier, standing up as he unsheathed it. It surprised her to hear the sound of the metal blade, but closed her eyes in acceptance. He raised his blade, striking it straight down.

Blood splattered the carpet floor.


	6. The Esteemed Captain Karol

I think i started this back in January... When it was a whole meme about the 1920s and the whole 'year of the rat' and the dates of any major plague.

It's funny how it's not really even a joke anymore. ¯\\_(ツ)_/¯

Well, here's another chapter for you guys. Sorry if I haven't published in a while, I think it was last month since I posted anything to this story. I figured I might as well write the next one since there literally nothing going on outside except for a major downpour all this morning.

* * *

Chapter 5 - The Esteemed Captain Karol

_Karol had been silent for a good hour._

_Here and there he would give a short input, but nothing of excitement. Even knowing that this would finally be Brave Vesperia's first big stepping stone, he was lost in thought. While everyone made their way to searching for the few empty buildings, something caught Karol's eye and he stopped right before he passed what was an abandoned three story building. He stared at it with his swirling thoughts seemingly disappearing at the very sight. Leaving one, sure idea, that remained._

"_Boss?" Yuri called out, seeing the young guild leader stare at this very building with wide eyes. He and Repede made their way over to him along with everyone else "Something wrong kid?" Raven asked, looking up at the building that Karol had intent eyes on. He swore it seemed familiar, but he couldn't put his finger on it. "What's wrong with the kid now?" Rita dully asked, taking a long look at the battered exterior and the broken windows, it was almost as if someone deliberately threw rocks at the windows._

"_It's this one." Karol quietly spoke, earning a stunned look from Rita and Estelle "Really? This dump right here is what you want for your guild building?" Rita asked, staring at him like he was crazy "It'll practically cave in when you're asleep!" she shouted as Estelle looked up at the building's terrible state "Maybe there's something else we can look for?" Estelle suggested despite Rita's outburst, but Karol simply shook his head-his eyes were full of determination "No. it has to be this one, there's no other one." his determination was strong and it was plain to see that he wouldn't choose any other building._

_Yuri, however, saw it in a different way. Karol could've chosen some other building or maybe listened to everyone else's concerns. While everyone else saw him determined, what Yuri saw in the young boy... was desperation._

"_Well, if you say so with that kind of look, I guess we have no choice." Yuri sighed with a small smile, and Repede gave an affirming bark. A sweet hum came from Judith who looked at it with an intriguing glimmer in her eyes, "It does have a certain charm to it, don't you think?" she smiled, turning to Rita and Estelle. "Well, it would take a lot of work to fix it up." Estelle thoughtfully replied while Rita sighed and waved their comments off "Yeah, yeah don't come crying to me when the place falls apart." Despite her cold reply, she couldn't help but be a little curious about the building-although it wouldn't show very well. _

"_Don't I get a say in this?!" Raven shouted with a hurtful look on his face, Yuri turned to him with an annoyed gaze "You're the last person who would get a say in something like this." "Oh come on!" the old man pouted, dragging his arms down as he looked around with a dull look at Judith who smiled at his dismay. _

"_Thanks Everyone…" the young guild leader smiled, his words were sincere and genuine. It wasn't often that he got so sentimental like the way he was, still Yuri and the rest smiled "Hey, you're a guild leader now. It's about time you start taking the lead." Yuri replied with a hand on his hip. With Karol surrounded by his friends at that moment, he knew it would always be like this. Even though his decision had looked to be on a whim, Karol knew it wasn't. _

_This first real decision was a selfish one._

**~/.L.\~**

Awakened from his deep thoughts, Raven opened his eyes to the pages of the book he was reading on his face. It was the loud crashing and yelling that made him realize what exactly had woken him up. Taking the book off his face, his attention was now directed to the twin children that wrestled on the floor-with the boy grinning wildly as his hold on his sister confined her on the floor "Say it! Say you lost!" he laughed while the girl cried out in discomfort "Let me go, Victor!" she shouted, though it didn't do much help in her situation, "Not until you claim defeat, Vera!"

"Hey!" Raven shouted, staring at the two children who now had looks of fear in their faces as they stared up at the old man "Care to tell me why ya both are making so much noise?" He asked as Victor hurriedly got off his sister, Vera, and the two stood up "I was telling Vera that it was her fault that the mission was botched but she claims it was my fault."

"That's not true! Victor was so brash and forward with the customers that he scared them away!" Vera refuted but her brother quickly turned towards her with an angered look "You were the one who kept messing up orders and tripping over air! You're just as clumsy as always!"

"YOU TAKE THAT BACK!" Vera screamed, rearing back to jump at Victor before their fight was quickly halted when Raven cleared his throat, frowning at them with a sharp glare. A sort of 'Eek!' noise came from the pair of siblings as they resumed their soldier-like position as Raven tapped his foot in annoyance "You two do realize that the Boss did ya' a favor by letting ya both in here, right?" Raven started as the two were nervous and silent but nodded quickly in response "Everyone else that'cha went to denied ya both entry, but Karol decided otherwise." he continued as the tapping of his foot slowed to a stop and put on a softer face "Ya don't do guild missions for just the gald, ya do it to show everyone else that ya both are apart of Brave Vesperia. Ta earn respect for both the guild as well as yer pride in the boss."

Victor and Vera looked at him and then each other, there seemed to be an understanding between the two as they took in the wise words of Raven. "We understand, and we're sorry for the trouble we've caused." Victor spoke in a rather elegant tone as they both bowed in apology to him "We'll do our best to express our gratitude better to both the boss and the guild." Vera added, her tone always in a similar way to Victor's

.

Raven stared at the two in disbelief, but rubbed the back of his head with his eyes closed "Yeah well as long as ya know now, but that doesn't help with ta fee's ya both racked up." he replied as the two looked back at him as he pulled out a long parchment of multiple damages to the tavern and the food stock they wasted. "Huh?" they asked in unison, looking at the charges in shock "ya both are gonna have'ta do some monster hunting to make up for this." he explained as Raven folded up the letter and placed it inside his coat. Victor and Vera looked at each other, processing what Raven just said.

"HUH?!" fear dripped down their faces as Raven smirked at the sibling's reactions "W-Wait Mister Raven! We're not exactly good with our weapons!" "Y-Yeah! We'd just slow Master Karol down like last time!" they both nervously explained, but it didn't help Raven's mischievous look "That's why _I'm_ going instead of Karol, it'll be good training as well as paying off your debt. Let's just say..._killing two birds with one stone_." he chuckled as the two fell to their knees in regret and dismay "Brother...I don't think we'll make it out of this…" Vera said as a gloom appeared over the two, Victor shuddered as he shook his head "I have to agree for once, but if you make it out alive-promise me you'll bury me someone cold and dark to remind me of my sins." as the sibling's rather comical gloom seemed to spread, Raven stared at them with a dull and almost offended look "Ya make it sound like I'm Rita or somethin'." he sighed staring at the pair's dramatic dispositions

Eventually, Raven promised the two that if they worked hard that he would teach them some artes and maybe get them something sweet. Apparently, it worked as the two sprang up with smiles and competitive bantering at each other. Either way, they rushed up the creaky wooden stairs-pushing each other as they raced. The older guild member sighed and turned over to where a closed door was.

From the windows, the eternal twilight faded into night. One of the most prominent changes after the conversion was the appearance of night in Dahngrest, while the daylight was still the eternal Twilight as before. Raven approached the door and quietly knocked on it. "Karol?" he called, receiving no answer and ended up cracking open the door slowly.

Inside, the curtains blocked out any outside light which made it a lot darker than it was outside. The light from where Raven stood was enough to make the room dim enough to see the messy office, where Karol laid asleep on his desk full of documents and books. Raven sighed as he opened up the door more and walked over to the lamp that soon filled the room with a dim, but brighter light.

"...hmmm?" came the hum from the young guild leader, he looked up in a daze at Raven who re-stacked the bookshelves with the various books that littered the floor "Workin' yourself hard again, eh kid?" Raven inquired, saying nothing about the boy's frazzled hair and dark circles under his eyes. Karol yawned as he looked at the many documents and papers that had been spread to every available guild "There's a lot things going on, I figured it wouldn't hurt to go over a few things." he spoke with another yawn, "there have been a lot of guild's losing their members, so common jobs are more available and needed around the city." Karol drearily explained, flipping through what he had been reading before he went to sleep. Raven said nothing as he took to shelving more books, he noticed there were a couple out of place books with a blank cover that were tarnished than the others with the pages having remnants of small droplets of something. While he didn't read what was inscribed, there appeared to be a cartoonish illustration of a dragon among other comical characters:

A children's book.

"How long was I asleep for?" the brown-haired boy asked, rubbing his eyes as Raven shrugged "Last I checked on ya was around the early afternoon. Right now it's just starting ta turn dark." Raven explained as Karol looked confused "Really? It doesn't feel like I got any sleep at all…" as he trailed off in thought, Raven placed the last book on the shelf from the floor but did not touch the books on his desk. From the corner of his eye, he noticed Karol place a leather bound book in his desk drawer. Most likely a journal.

"Well, now that yer awake, we might as well fix something up for dinner." Raven casually suggested as Karol's stomach grumbled. He sheepishly rubbed that back of his head as he moved away from his desk "Yeah, food definitely sounds good!"

**~/.L.\~**

"_Listen, it'll only be for a week. Ms. Rebecca will take care of you till then." Karol looked up at the person who rubbed his head gently, as he stared at the person's face; it was only their soft smile they could see among the shadows that covered the person's face. As their hand drifted away from him, Karol reached out to their hand as panic filled his mind and a tightness burned in his chest "Wait! Don't go!" he tried to scream, running after the back of what he assumed to be a tall man. His back only grew more distant with the dark green cape off to his right shoulder swayed in the wind "Please, come back!" once more he shouted, his voice never coming up more than a whisper. As the man was enveloped in shadows, Karol reached out with tears streaming down his eyes "PLEASE DON'T GO, D-"_

Karol gasped as his outstretched arm shuddered as he was shaken awake, with dried tears on his cheeks, he looked around his room to see who would have woken him, but there was no one there. As he realized his heavy breathes slowed down, he swung his legs over his bed side- letting them hang off the edge. For some reason he thought that maybe his feet should be touching the floor but thought nothing of it as he heard a voice call him "Karol! Time for breakfast!" The voice was familiar and he knew it was Raven calling him.

"Yeah, coming!" he shouted back, taking a deep breath as he hopped off his bed, looking around his room, and stepping over the toys he had played with the day before. As he smelled the familiar scent of Omelette Rice, his mouth watered at the taste of salty and sweet tomatoes and the smoothness of a savory egg. Quickly he got dressed, swearing his clothes seemed different for a moment before he heard Raven call him down again. "Yeah, yeah I'm coming!" he called back with a smile, heading to the door and rushing down the stretching hallway.

Everything seemed fine, but there was a moment of uncertainty as he noticed the wooden floors appeared more pristine and the walls were full of pictures of him amongst those with blurry faces.

_Something wasn't right._

"_Hey Raven?" he called out, seeing the stairs come into view. No longer did the omelette rice smell sweet and savory, but there was a strange stench about it. Grabbing the stair rail, it was as smooth as ever but why was that strange? In fact, nothing made sense as there was a darker light from the window. He might've not noticed the coming darkness that swirled outside if it weren't for his senses on fire. The table by the counter bar, where new bottles of alcohol lined up, wasn't right, it was in the wrong place. It should've been old and the chairs creaky- full of splinters._

_And in the kitchen was a presence he hadn't felt before, or was it familiar? He couldn't tell, but as he crept inside, he could hear this winding sound as the floorboards creaked. The winding grew louder and louder as he turned the corner- almost like a siren as he stared at the tall shadow's back._

_And then, there was silence._

"_R-Raven…?" he quietly questioned, but he knew that whoever, whatever this thing was, it was most definitely NOT Raven._

**"**_**Karoru…"**_ _the voice came as an echo, a pulsing fog that took over the scenery-the only things left in this very space was him, this shadow, and the chilling feeling that something was watching him. The shadow turned around, making the young boy step back in fear as two, deep crimson eyes met his _**"**_**Who is this...Raven?"**_ _the echoed voice sounded like a growl, as if this shadow was prepared to let out some distorted roaring sound. "W-who are you?" he asked but his lips didn't move, despite swearing he said something._

**"**_**Who have you replaced me with?" **__the creature stepped towards him, taking the form of some monstrous beast. In Karol's small hands was his old Axe, heavy and unmovable. No matter how hard he tried to pick it up, to swing it against the prowling beast, Karol's legs quivered, his hands grew sweaty, and most of all was his innate sense of running away. "No...No don't come any closer!" he shouted, letting go of his useless weapon to turn tail. But as he turned around, those same deep crimson eyes were upon him. It's horrible jaw opened wide and lunged at him as Karol could no longer look away._

Gasping, Karol awoke, drenched in sweat and hyperactive. Looking around for whatever just swallowed him, and only realizing after a good five minutes that he was in his bed. Even then, it wasn't enough to convince him as he looked at the floorboards and swung his legs off his bed. His feet easily touched the floor and pressed against it hard. Looking at his hands and body, they definitely were not of a small child's but as a 14 year old's. Standing up, the room that he was in was not littered with toys but instead had a cheap rug to hide most of the splintery boards.

_He wasn't dreaming_

However for the next minute or so he swore that he was, but looking out his window was the Twilight of Dahngrest and not the swirling darkness from before. Taking a long, deep breath, he dressed himself in his clothes-smiling in relief that it was the tailor-made clothing he ordered for his guild. His black pants and white long sleeved shirt under a midnight blue vest-like jacket with a pattern of the night sky and the emblem of the guild symbol on his back. He slipped on his leather boots and rubbed the back of his neck as he headed into the bathroom.

**~/.L.\~**

Karol sighed looking into the sink mirror, right now Victor and Vera would be out hunting monsters with Raven and being alone was what he definitely needed right now. With the way he looked, everyone would be worried and that was what he absolutely did not want. Shaking his head, he washed his hands and reached to grab the small towel but stopped briefly as he looked back in the mirror. Something glimmered behind him, something that looked red. At first he thought it might've been his old bohdi blastia that was around his neck as the glimmer was very similar, but it was behind him.

Turning around, Karol looked at the exact spot where he saw it in the mirror and yet there was nothing there. He might've shrugged it off but curiosity overtook him and he turned back to the mirror. His body froze as there were two crimson eyes staring back at him, the more he stared in fear the more some strange image appeared before him

**"**_**Karoru."**_

Shouting in fear, Karol jumped back against the wall and tightly closed his eyes. He opened them quickly as he looked back at the mirror.

_Nothing was there_

All turned around, he began to fear that he was back in that terrible nightmare again and slammed open the door, barely recognizing who stood in front of him as he cried out in fear along with the person on the other side of the door. The person who fell back was who Karol immediately recognized as poor Vera, who looked like she just had the living daylight scared out of her "Vera? What are you doing here?" Karol asked once he caught his breath but even she seemed to still have a shuddered look "I-I was just going downstairs and I heard you shouting!" she explained as Karol walked up to her and held out a hand, as he pulled her up he rubbed the back of his head "Sorry for scaring you, but didn't you guys leave with Raven already?"

"um...No? It's six in the morning and Victor and Raven aren't even up."she explained as Karol nodded for a moment before giving her a weird look "Wait, it's Six? I didn't know you got up so early." He stated as Vera had an embarrassed look on her face "I like to be up early so that I can have time to read, I haven't read many books here and I've been wanting to read more about this place." she explained with a smile but faltered as Karol looked at her curiously "This place? Didn't you attend school here?" he asked as Vera seemed to have sweat rolling down her face as she smiled nervously "N-No, not really...Me and Victor kind of came from a...a nearby settlement…?"

Karol blinked, registering what she said before he smiled "You did say you weren't born in Dahngrest, makes sense that you haven't attended any sort of schooling here." Karol concluded as Vera nervously chuckled while scratching the back of her head. "I could lend you a few books to read if you like." "Thank you!" Vera smiled, quickly bowing in thanks as Karol led her downstairs to his office.

**~/.L.\~**

"Ugh, Raven always puts these out of order." Karol mumbled and he sorted through the books in his shelves, selecting a few books and putting them in Vera's arms "There you go, Estelle gave me many of these books and they've helped me a lot in learning about the empire and the past history of Terca Lumireis." Karol replied as Vera looked through the different books, her face perked up in question as she placed the stack of books down and pulled out what appeared to be a blank cover "what's this one?" she asked, about to open it before Karol quickly took it from her "Sorry, I didn't mean to give you this one." he quickly apologized, putting it back on the shelf. Vera tilted her head, noticing another one similar to it; it had a dark blue blank cover while the one she just had was a deep red. "Are they Miss Estelle's too?"

"No, they're mine." he replied, dropping the conversation as Vera looked at the shelved book curiously before picking up the small stack of books and left the office with Karol. While Karol took it upon himself to make them breakfast, Vera quietly read the first few books she picked from her stack. Karol took a seat beside her with a small plate of Rice Balls as she looked up from her book to put it aside as she took one of the five balls "Did you already finish one of the books?" Karol asked as Vera nodded, taking a hard gulp of the salmon filled rice "Yeah, it's really interesting and different than what I expected." she explained as she finished her first and grabbed her second, "Do you mean about the history?" "Hmm...it's more like how it's written compared to other books I've read." she explained, as Karol took another rice ball. He was now intrigued by her statement ,"What do you mean?"

"I don't know, I guess it just has a different _voice_ to it." Vera added only more to Karol's confusion before he shook his head "I've never really liked reading history books, so I wouldn't know what you're talking about." Karol chuckled as he took a big bite of his food.

"no...I suppose you wouldn't…" Vera quietly said as Karol turned around with a curious look as he swallowed his food "Did you say something?" "Huh? What makes you think-"

"Vera, it's not good to talk with your mouth full." Victor's sudden voice cut in as Vera choked on her food, hitting her chest with her fist before Victor casually handed her a glass of water. Gulping it down hard, Karol watched as she took in deep breaths and with tears at the side of her eyes "Victor! You scared me!" she yelled as he gave her an annoyed look "Well, if you didn't eat so vulgar you could've avoided choking to death." He refuted as Vera quickly stood up from her chair, almost knocking the table down if Karol hadn't quickly steadied it "You can't talk to me like that! I'm the eldest sibling and you have to show me respect!"

"LIKE I'M EVER GOING TO RESPECT SOMEONE WHO HAS NO MANNERS! WERE YOU RAISED IN A BARN?!"

"DON'T ACT LIKE YOU'RE BETTER THAN ME! I KNOW WHERE YOU SLEEP!" Vera screamed back as Victor grabbed Vera's cheeks and began pulling on them

"'You know where I sleep?' I KNOW WHERE YOU SLEEP TOO IDIOT! YOU REALLY THINK YOU CAN TAKE YOUR BIG BROTHER ON?!" Victor yelled as Vera began crying out in pain "Ow! Stop pulling on my cheeks!" "Admit that I'm older! Admit it!" Victor shouted back with a devious smile, as the two continued their argument while Karol watched them in a dull daze "How can you both have so much energy in the morning?" he questioned mainly to himself before his attention was diverted to Raven who came down the stairs picking his ear

"It's barely seven in ta mornin' and ya both are already fightin'!" Raven called out with annoyance, his voice promptly caused the two to perk up and fumble off each other as they stood up at attention "M-Mister Raven!" they both called out in unison as Raven approached them with a frown "Ya both really want me ta' make this training harder on ya, huh?" he asked as his looming presence seemed to over tower the two as they shrunk back in fear and apologized continuously.

Raven sighed and looked over to Karol, he seemed to look better than yesterday but there were still darkened circles under his eyes. "Hey kid, I didn't think you'd be up after all that work ya did this past week." Raven said as Karol shook his head "I'm feeling better, but I'm wondering if I should go find something else to do today." Karol pondered as Raven scratched the stubble of his chin, a bright thought coming to the old man "What if you met up with Yuri?" Raven suggested as Karol looked at him in question "What do you mean?" "Well, assuming on how long it usually takes ta get ta Zaphias from Dahngrest; Yuri, Estelle, and Repede must've already met up with The Commandant, or at least are about to." Raven explained, this perked up Karol as he closed his eyes and crossed his arms in thought "So you're saying they might already be in Zaphias?"

"Exactly. No harm in meeting up with 'em, especially since ya haven't gotten some fresh air in a while." at Raven's suggestion, Karol smiled and went inside of his office, coming back out with his bag and his sword, Bravior. "Well, since you _insisted_ Raven, I guess I have no choice but to leave the guild to you for a little bit!" Karol replied, wagging his finger and tapping his foot. Raven stared at him, slouching as he gave him a confused, dull look, "...eh?" "I mean, After all, you were the one who practically begged me to stay here but seeing as you can handle both Victor and Vera, I feel much more comfortable knowing that you won't let this place burn down while I'm gone." Karol grinned with his hands on his hips in a triumphant pose. Raven silently paused, soon realizing what Karol was saying.

"EH?! Ya can't just leave everything to me! Yuri and Judy would have my head if anything went wrong!" Raven refuted but Karol still wagged his finger, "You can handle the two newbies just fine! I just have to make sure Yuri is handling the job well, and then I'll be right back." He replied with a definite tone, heading to the door and opening it to let in more of the twilight "Victor, Vera, don't give Raven too hard of a time." Karol ordered as the twins stood up straight and saluted him "Yes, Master Karol!" they replied in unison as Raven sighed in defeat "Oh well, make sure you come back with a good reward, kid!" Raven called out at Karol headed off, briefly turning back with a wave and a smile.

However, even in the bright Twilight Raven noticed something as Karol turned away. In the brief moment he looked away, there was an almost conflicted frown on his face. It may have been the trick of the light, but Raven swore that Karol's feint happiness from just this moment erased as he raced off to meet up with Yuri.

Sometimes, he wondered what that kid was really thinking.

* * *

Finally, this chapter has been finished...not nessecarily the bane of my existence so far, but planning out the next chapter line-up has definitely been painful...

Good thing I literally have nothing else to do!

Huzzah, my fellow fictioners, Huzzah! (ﾉ◕ヮ◕)ﾉ*:･ﾟ✧ ✧ﾟ･: *ヽ(◕ヮ◕ヽ)


	7. The Difference between the Wise

**Motivation, Motivation, Where art thou Motivation?** ｡゜(｀Д´)゜｡

**I feel so bad uploading at the end of May, i meant to do this much earlier but my mind was completely barren with no inspiration.** (；一_一)

**anyways, i decided to make a longer one to make up for it, i might upload something small on the side as well but i'm not sure yet...**

**Anyways hope you enjoy this chapter!** \ (•◡•) /

* * *

Chapter 6 - The Difference between the Wise and the Foolish

The storm clouds rolled in, and it seemed like it would shower any moment. As Estelle turned her eyes to the vast grey clouds, droplets of the sky dripped on her cheeks and forehead, rolling down her chin and a few in her eyes of which she immediately looked away; blinking and rubbing out the sudden moisture. She, Yuri, and Repede had made their way back to Deidon Hold, in hopes of gathering more information from Kaufman, as it seemed that perhaps the proud guild leader knew more than what she let on. It didn't help that Yuri seemed slightly annoyed when they arrived at their destination with no sign of the woman anywhere.

"The president's currently busy with other matters." One of the stockmen of Fortune's Market told them, as he shuffled through one of the many crates for what turned out to be extra tools. "And when can we see her exactly?" Yuri asked as the stockman shrugged his shoulders "Not sure, when she's done I suppose, but she did give me a message to hand off." he replied, taking out an envelope from his chest pocket and handing it to Yuri. He opened it and unfolded the paper as Estelle leaned over his shoulder to read the content as well.

"_[If you get this letter, then I have some information that might help you. Some of my men informed me of spotting a knight leaving Halure a few weeks back. Whether it was the commandant or some other imperial knight, I figured it would be good to check out.]"_

As Yuri finished reciting the words, he turned back to the stockman with a questionable look in his eyes "Did Kaufman mention anything else?" "Nope, The President only told me to give that to you. Nothing else." he said as Estelle looked to Repede. He had his attention turned to the knights that were stationed on the other side close up the gate ahead, and Estelle noticed how the knights were lowering the gate, "What's going on?" she asked as Yuri's attention turned to what Estelle had seen. "There's a big storm coming, and the monsters have been more active and aggressive recently. We're just taking precautions." The stockman casually replied, but looked to Yuri with a concerned look "If you plan on going out there I suggest that you stay for the night, it doesn't seem like the sky would let up anytime soon." His word of caution would mean very little as Yuri looked back to the guildman "Thanks for the suggestion, we'll take it from here." Yuri said as the guildman shrugged his shoulders, muttering something under his breath before turning back to his business.

Yuri looked to the sky, debating on whether they should stay or go on ahead. The grey sky above seemed to grow thicker with each passing minute, and for a moment he thought he heard thunder in the distance. "It would be difficult to determine how long it would take for the storm to pass…" Yuri thoughtfully said as he seemed to be thinking hard about the situation at hand. Estelle looked around, seeing that there weren't that many people who were outside anymore. Maybe a few workers and the knights, but everyone seemed to take shelter inside. And she wondered, if maybe those people from before were here as well. Thinking back to that red-eyed man and how he smiled at her, it sent chills up her spine.

While it might've been best to sit tight and let the storm pass, Estelle knew that there were greater needs than wanting to stay dry. Ioder and the ill people of the capital needed healing artes, ones that she could not provide. Healing artes that could save not only Ioder's life, but Hanks' as well... At least, she hoped.

It was with this in mind, that she turned to Yuri who was still in deep thought. "Yuri, I think we should head to Halure." Estelle said as Yuri turned to her with a question, "What makes you say that?" "Well, I was just thinking that the rain hasn't come down yet and the letter said that there was an Imperial knight in Halure. We could at least make some progress before taking shelter from the storm." she explained as Yuri paused for a moment before giving a nod "Well, if we're going to do that we would have to go through the Quoi Forest, you up for that?" he asked with a hand on his hip as Estelle nodded "Yes, we have a guild mission and must do whatever we can to accomplish it." she said as Yuri gave her a small smile, he turned to his side where Repede also gave an affirming bark and looked ready to go at any moment. "Well, that settles it. Lets go."

**~/.L.\~**

As the three entered the Quoi Woods, it was noticeable that the amount of monsters that used to be out in the open had diminished greatly, from those that were still there attacked them, And those that stood off on the sidelines in the distance, stared at them quietly with strange blue eyes and it was Estelle who looked back often, making eye contact with them. The original idea of them attacking the three of them off guard seemed strange. She knew that at anytime they could attack from behind, they must've been smart enough to know that they could get a good sneak attack or two.

But instead, after another beady eyed monster was taken down, something in the darker part of the woods simply stared at Estelle with it's blue eyes before going away. She wasn't sure what it was entirely, maybe another monster like before or maybe it was a warning, though she couldn't doubt the possibility of it being something malicious, yet then again how would she ever know? Let alone just thinking about it made no sense at all and yet-

"Estelle?" Yuri's voice prompted her to return back to reality as she looked around confused to where the swordsman was at. "Estelle, what are you doing?" Yuri asked as he watched Estelle turn around to face him with confusion "Wasn't I just behind you?" she asked, mainly to herself but could see the look on Yuri's face "I thought you were, but I turn around and you're going off the path. Did you see something over there?" he asked as Estelle tilted her head in confusion, "Uh...no, no I don't think so." She replied, still keeping her eyes on the now obvious offbeat path ahead. Yuri watched her, noticing how long she stared at where she had been going, "Estelle?"

"Hey Yuri...maybe we should go this way?" she wasn't sure what prompted her to suggest this, even then she could see the distant gaze of those blue eyes. While she still had that first initial thought of what it could want, the secondary idea of following it seemed almost _safer_ than the original path. How did she come to this conclusion? she, herself, had no idea.

Meanwhile, Yuri examined where she mentioned going to. Within the darker part of the woods, there was no telling of what was beyond and while he did trust Estelle, taking a detour would take longer; if not, get them lost entirely. Repede seemed to have a similar idea to his own and went off to survey the regular path they usually go on. "The storm's going to come soon, the reason why we didn't stay at Deidon Hold was so that we could make progress on the guild mission, Remember? You said it yourself." as Yuri said this, Estelle lingered her gaze briefly before turning back towards him "Yes, you're right." she replied, walking up to the swordsman. "We could try going that path later when we've found Flynn and whoever this plague doctor he was searching for." Yuri suggested, though it didn't seem to help her in the moment. Still, the princess shook her head at this "It's fine, I guess my thoughts were somewhere else." she quickly explained and headed onwards "We should hurry up, the storm could come any second."

Yuri sighed at Estelle's remark, but looked back to where she had been before. There was nothing beyond there, but she had seen something. Whether or not she dismissed it entirely, it did appear to be worth checking out later.

**~/.L.\~**

Yuri, Estelle, and Repede didn't walk much further ahead when they came to the familiar clearing in the forest with the old, empty arch of the blastia. A wave of nostalgia hit between Yuri and Estelle as Yuri deemed it to be a short time of rest. While this was good for his master and Estelle, Repede sensed something different as he sat down. It was subtle, but something was definitely off. He would say nothing, however, as he wasn't quite sure what it was nor did it seem worth fussing over at the moment.

"It always feels nice here." Estelle sighed, sitting beside from Yuri who had also sat back in a relaxed position "I could say the same, thinking back to the beginning." he cooly replied, though he would never tell her of when he came here alone with Repede all that time ago, when he felt that he was forced to make the worst decision he could've made. For a moment he closed his eyes, thinking back all that time ago. It wasn't long until Estelle noticed that Yuri had slowly drifted off to sleep.

"Back then…" she silently reminisced, smiling how Yuri tricked her into eating that Nia fruit or how he could've abandoned her when she passed out. The same kindness he always showed her...it definitely had an effect on her, even now she was shown a similar kindness from Ioder. When he deemed her a Royal Consultant of the World for Zaphias, it allowed her to continue traveling with Yuri and everyone else. She no longer was bound to the castle, in a sense...she was free.

It was then that this reminded her of her last talk with Ioder and his words. "[_I pray that Delvora's Grace does not befall any of you._]" she quietly recalled, as she pulled out the strange coin she was given.

It was different than she remembered it being. Perhaps it was in the moment, but it was obvious that the coin was not a gald piece, but rather thicker, much heavier than a regular coin. The two sides of silver and gold were the same, the gold side didn't shine as much before while the other side was dim with the same inscription as before "[_May Lunavera's Light guide you to judgement_]" she read the inscription and turned to Repede who had taken by her side. He silently watched Estelle as she smiled "You probably wouldn't know what this is." she joked as she watched the blue dog let out a wide yawn. There was a neutral look in Repede's eyes, as if to say "_Sorry, I have no idea"_ to her. She let out a sigh, something in her almost hoped that he would know. That's what happens in books, right? But then again, she knew this wasn't some fairy tale or adventure novel like she would read in the castle library. No, she would just have to figure it out herself.

And it was at this point that she noticed something strange about the coin, the coin was thick, and it was the thickness of the coin that glowed a faint blue around the brim and edge. The brim was also silver and less dim that the silvered side, it had tiny words that glowed a faint blue, words that she couldn't understand like the golden side but rather annoying, as she felt it was on the tip of her tongue, at the edge of her mind, yet she couldn't understand it. "This is impossible." she pouted as she pocketed her coin once more. For a moment, she tried thinking harder about the coin, Ioder's cryptic message, and his mention of The Emperor's library. No one had ever been given access to it then, and only now when Ioder became Emperor was this coin to ever see the light of day. It almost made her sad, as if she could relate to the very coin herself. Maybe that was the reason why she caught herself staring at Yuri again, he was still asleep and yet, Estelle felt the need to sit closer to him.

Quietly, she moved up to him-he laid on his back and she couldn't help but hover over him. the details in his face were more apparent than usual, and his long ebony hair was sprawled on his sides with a few wild strands on his face. There was an itching thought, a want-no a need to brush them away, to get a closer look of the softness of his face. an insatiable want, that quickly diminished as she heard him begin to stir. Knowing that she needed to move away came too late as Yuri's wolf-grey eyes opened, staring at her own.

**~/.L.\~**

A somewhat strange feeling awoke Yuri from his sleep, not that it was a good rest but what awoke him was a presence that was familiar and strangely soothing. At first he expected it to be Repede waking him up from his short nap, but what he didn't expect was Estelle's emerald eyes to stare into his own. He wasn't exactly sure how he was able to keep his cool in this very moment, maybe the deep gaze that was in her eyes that quickly widened along with her cheeks turning a bright shade of Halure pink. "S-Sorry!" she quickly cried out as she immediately moved away with her head low and her gaze to the ground. Yuri pushed himself up, silently processing what just happened. Blinking a few times, he felt a slight burn on his cheeks as he tried to gather his words. "Were you...watching me?"

"N-No! I just noticed how quiet you were and checked to see if you were asleep! Th-That's all!" she quickly explained, though Yuri wouldn't know if she was actually _just_ checking up on him-it was definitely...a moment. Certainly one he didn't expect just waking up or even at all, though he wouldn't deny that he liked that look in her eyes, a close up of that emerald sheen. "So you see, I was just making sure you were okay, even Repede looked worried-see, look at him!" she claimed once more as Yuri turned to see his loyal dog, expecting to see the usual neutral look of him.

Only to see Repede glare at him, with a devious smirk.

"You think it's funny, huh?" Yuri muttered as he narrowed his eyes, only for Repede to hear. As expected of the sly dog, Repede walked away with another devious glance as a swish of his tail that Yuri found rather irritating. Now Yuri knew Repede had something to do with this.

And that's what Repede wanted Yuri to think.

He could never talk, and that was the greatest thing with his master, they could just know each other and sometimes his master wouldn't suspect a thing. He wouldn't know that Estelle meant to do what she did, he wouldn't know how Repede looked at him with the same sly look whenever those two were together like that. He wouldn't know, and Repede relished in it. But as Repede moved away from Yuri, he noticed it then. The one off putting thing he sensed before, only now it was getting closer and more apparent.

Yuri and Estelle heard Repede's growl and saw him lower in defense with his blade out, "Repede, what's going on?" Yuri asked as he readied himself for anything, Estelle barely had a chance to register what was happening before she heard a loud stomping and a dark presence behind her. The coin in her pocket grew hot as she slowly turned her head to see what was behind her, unable to hear Yuri cry out as she felt something impact her side before blacking out.

* * *

Karol wasn't sure why, but as he stepped foot within the forest of Keiv Moc, the feeling of wanting to see the forest quickly diminished as he remembered why he left dahngrest in the first place. Yet there was a sort of strange yet wonderous feeling inside him by the very act of being by himself. He recalled that he had not been like this since back when he first met Yuri, Estelle, and Repede. Though he was much more cowardly before than he was now.

Looking around, he recalled Rita mentioning how there may be different changes in weather or atmosphere due to the utter lack of aer. Yet he couldn't imagine any differences at that time until now: The dull greenery and brown of the forest was enlightened with strange mutations of the original plants with ethereal colors of blue, purple, and even pink. The greenery itself appeared to be a much more lush scene and it was the same with the tree leaves above.

Karol picked up a fallen leaf-it had a soft glow of silver around the edge and in the veins of the plant as well. Seeing how whimsy everything was, he felt tempted to step further in but stopped himself once more. He really needed to get over his childlike wonder about needless things, and turned away from entering the forest.

"_Get...stupid monsters!"_ a distant voice from deeper within Keiv Moc, caused Karol to turn back to the forest. The voice sounded familiar, almost too familiar, as if it wasn't enough to kick the boy's brave instincts to settle in. Either way, he took no more time and rushed in to save whoever was there.

**~/.L.\~**

"Dumb... monsters…!" a breathy voice came from a young woman who wore a short, dark green dress with red and yellow mismatched stockings and leather boots. around her waist was a belt that held different instruments and pouches. In her hands was a ribbon-like scroll, armed against a few mutated Grasshoppers with vines for arms and bright red eyes that seemed to glow. A couple of the original pack laid lifeless on the ground, and the monsters that were left didn't seem to be upset at their loss but only advanced further towards the young woman. They were barely faster than her as she dashed a few steps away, before swapping out her scroll for an intriguely bound spellbook on her waist. As she held her arms in a relaxed, but fixated disposition, a glowing arte circle appeared underneath her-it was a yellowish-brown color, with an outer glow of blue and silver particles that surrounded her.

As they drew near, the two monsters that advanced met her furious gaze as she chanted out the arcane arte- causing an opposing arte circle to appear underneath them. The ground rumbled and cracked, causing a jagged stalagmite to pierce and break underneath the two and send them flying above before landing on the ground-dead.

Once more, her breaths were heavy and quick, and her legs demanded rest. Almost falling to her knees, she realized something was wrong-there were two she had taken out before and then there were other two just now "there's only four…?" she muttered before realizing what had happened, she quickly turned around as the shriek of the fifth monster caught her off guard-it stretched its vines as she tried to break free from it's grasp, only to falter from lack of stamina. She cried out in shock as it wrapped her arms and legs with it's vine-like arms, causing her to cry out in pain as it continuously grappled her harder. Her fingers moved towards her back scroll only to fail as it angrily lifted her above, letting out a cry of rage- "Let me go!" she demanded in a hurry as she could only try and kick it in defence, as it aimed to bite her head off.

"Get away from her!" The approaching yell of a teen boy drew the creature's attention away for a moment before it was sliced in half by a giant gold and white sword- releasing the young woman from it's bind as she fell to the ground with a yelp. Catching her breath, she looked to the young teen who'd just saved her-besides his voice and his sword, it was the dark blue neck bandana and the teen's rough brown hair who she quickly recognized as Karol.

"Are you okay Rita?" Karol asked as he watched Rita stand up and dust off her clothes "Of course I am, what do you take me for?" she asked with a bitter tone, although it was clear that she was certainly surprised. Karol, however, did not seem to notice this but instead looked among the slain monsters "That Grasshopper looked pretty upset, what'd you do to it?" he jokingly asked, kneeling beside one of them with a cringe as he pulled out a hunting knife.

Rita, looked at him with a sour gaze as she scoffed "I didn't do anything to them, I was just minding my business when they just jumped me for no reason!" she yelled, waving one of her hands in the air before turning back to the very Grasshopper that attempted to bite off her head and promptly kicked it. "Yeah, as if your smell alone didn't set them off." Karol muttered a snicker, thinking Rita didn't hear him only to hear that familiar sound of Rita's arcane arte fire up.

"You want to say that again shrimp?" she asked as Karol slowly turned around with a nervous smile as a flaming ball of blue and red fire blasted him straight in the face, sending the young teen flying a few feet back with a bad afro.

Karol looked up, dazed at the cynical mage in front of him. Of course he should've expected that to happen, but for once in his life he wished he wasn't blasted for each joke or dumb comment he made about her. Then again, it was sometimes fun to get a rise out of her. "_The lesser of two evils…_" he muttered again with a grimce, though she didn't seem to hear him that time.

"You didn't have to hit me that hard!" Karol cried out as he shook his head and pushed himself to his feet. The young woman had a rather sly look as she watched him pick up his sword "Yeah? Well it doesn't seem like you've learned your lesson. In fact, you seem even worse now." she said, narrowing her eyes at the young teen as he ruffled out the burnt afro Rita gave him "You've been hanging out with the old man too much haven't you?" she questioned bitterly as Karol froze for a moment, before Karol turned around with a sheepish smile on his face, Rita already looked at the boy with utter disappointment. "Well, I am the leader of Brave Vesperia, and Raven's a valued member of our guild." While Karol spoke proudly about this with a wag of his finger, Rita's unnerving gaze remained upon him as his prideful smile turned one of nervousness.

"Yeah? And where is he now?" she inquired, as Karol shook his head "He's watching over the guild while I go off and regroup with Yuri." he explained as he moved over to another dead Grasshopper in hopes of scavenging what materials were left, he cringed once more with goosebumps running up his arms as he kneeled beside it "Oh yeah, sure. Leave it to the old man to watch over your guild while you go and have fun, _Like a guild leader should_." "Hey, Raven's was a member of Altosk, plus you know him as much as I do. AND I didn't leave to go have _fun_." Karol dutifully noted as he continued to skin the monsters with his hunting knife. Rita took to his side, crouching and cupping her cheek beside him with a dull gaze "Then you should already know that he's a pervert, a liar, a thieving bastard, and... oh yeah! a drunk." she deadpanned as it felt as if her words pierced Karol's body and head like arrows from a bow

"GAH! Listen Rita, sometimes you gotta do things that you don't exactly like!" he explained in a factual tone, and looked to see Rita's unamused face. "Really, shrimp?" "Yes really! like...Take this for example:" he began, waving one of the monster's pincers in her face as it's weird green monster blood dripped down the hard, scratched up bone "You think I like doing this? You know I hate bugs! But I'm still doing this because we could use the extra gald every now and then!" he spoke in an almost dull yet condescending voice, she cringed back as he moved it closer to her face before she let out a shriek "EW! Get that thing away from me idiot, It's disgusting!" she cried out as she pushed him back angrily. Despite being pushed back, Karol managed to get a chuckle out of her reaction- causing her cheeks to brighten with an embarrassing amount of red. It was true, he hated bugs even to this day but it wasn't as much of a handicapped fear now. More like an inconvenience, with some fear mixed in.

Rita stood up as she crossed her shoulders and looked away, Karol imagined steam coming from the top of the mage's head "So, what are you even doing here anyways? I didn't see Yuri or Repede around here." she inquired as Karol bagged the few materials he managed to skin off before his bug-paranoia set in "Yuri and Estelle had a guild mission from Flynn and set off a few days ago. I'm just going to regroup with them and head back to Dahngrest with them after." Karol explained but Rita's ears perked up at the mention of Estelle "Estelle's with you guys? I thought she couldn't join a guild because of her status."

"Well, technically she's an Honorary member of the guild. She said Ioder gave her permission as Emperor to be some sort of _World Consultant_ for the empire. But even if she wasn't given 'permission' I would've let her join still, you know?" Karol said as he cleaned and packed his hunting knife in his bag, however Rita became curious of what he meant "And why would you?" she spoke harshly, questioning why he would do such a thing. For a moment Karol closed his eyes, thinking about something before turning to the genius mage with a shrug "Because it's Estelle, we all went on the same adventure together, we all saved the world with each other. Why wouldn't I extend the offer to her?" he replied, scratching his head for a moment, although Rita's face fell for a moment

"You know the same goes for you as well." Karol added, before seeing the confuzzled look on Rita's face "Me? Why would you do that?"

"Because...well, you're like...family, I guess…" the young teen rubbed his cheek embarrassingly, as if it was hard to admit what he knew as obvious. It was a brief and brisk moment between the two, before Rita's uplifted face fell into an annoyed one "What do you mean _I guess_?" she demanded, causing Karol to grow exasperated as he cried out "Gah! Forget I said anything!" and quickly stormed ahead before stopping and turning around with his sword on his shoulder "Do you want to come with or not?"

"Excuse me?"

"You wanted to see Estelle right? And it's probably best sticking together out here in the wild." Karol said with a flustered and annoyed look, Rita rolled her eyes, marching right up to him as she whipped out her spellbook and whacked him on the top of his head with the hard binding. Karol cried out in pain as he grabbed the top of his head in pain from the sudden headache "Yeah well I was already heading to Halure anyways. It's not like I'm desperate to hang out with you or anything." she scoffed, walking on ahead. Karol leered at her as he rubbed the top of his head "Jeez you don't have to be rude all the time." he muttered before heading on ahead with her. This trip would definitely be something interesting,

He just hoped he would live long enough to meet up with everyone else.

* * *

There was a white hot pain in her back, and something cold that dripped down the back of her head. She could barely open her eyes as the visual did not match the silence and intense ringing in her ears. From the blurry distance, she could make out two shapes, one that seemed to be Yuri and the other an enormous Filifolia-like monster with strange butterfly wings. The distant sound of Yuri's sword coming into contact with the monster and the creature's screams mixed in with the loud ringing and a blurry barking noise. With her vision fading in and out, the barking noise only grew louder and louder before an intense pressure pushed down harder and harder on her chest. She coughed, swearing she was groaning and gasping for breath before something small was dropped inside her mouth.

Despite her intense weakness, she had the urge to chew what was inside her mouth before swallowing what she knew as a 'gel'. At first she couldn't taste anything but a bitter copper, but as quickly the bitterness came, an intense sour filled her mouth that seemed to wake her up. With the ringing fading and the pain still present, she looked to see that Repede had healed her. "Repede...thank you." she said as Repede seemed to nod as Estelle got to her feet. Her hands were still shaky as she pulled out her weapon and shield, barely able to see Yuri in the distance as he led the monster away from the two.

"Lets go help Yuri!" she said with Repede howling in reply as the woman and dog dashed off to save their friend.

**~/.L.\~**

Yeah, Yuri was definitely pissed off.

However, In his attempt to draw the monster away from Estelle and Repede, he ultimately put himself in a corner against it. And after using three artes, he was definitely tired even though he wouldn't admit it. As it swiped at him with its leafy arms, it let out an enraged screech as he dodged underneath it before bringing his sword up against its face before twisting around and punching it with his free hand. For a moment it backed up in pain, letting out another cry as Yuri huffed a heavy breath, he saw a way out of the corner and rushed over to the empty space between. The monster must've noticed this, and with it's bright red hot eyes it let out another screech and a strong gust of wind from its wings. Yuri, covered one of his ears, and was almost knocked off his feet with the powerful gust. The monster had waited for this moment and lunged one of it's arms at Yuri again, attempting to grab him. He saw this and quickly side stepped, bringing up his sword up quickly as it glowed a bright blue and silver before slamming it down on its arm-slicing it clean off.

The monster screamed in anger as weird monster blood oozed out from the stub, and Yuri was not prepared for another lunge attack-unable to dodge completely, his body was wrapped with a leafy vine as he tried to struggle out of it. Raised up high, Yuri felt a strong head rush downwards as he was slammed to the ground.

He felt something in his body crack as he lost his grip on his sword, being raised up high once more as the monster let out another sharp screech in his face. Yuri gritted his teeth as he prepared for another hard slam and possibly something far worse than another broken bone. It wasn't until he saw Estelle and Repede in the distance, shouting out for him.

Repede was the first to arrive, quickly dashing in a blur of blue and effectively stabbing it in it's back before bouncing off and dashing once more at it's arm. Repede's blade seeped in deep before the dog pulled it out, the pain the monster felt was intense enough that it released the swordsman, causing him to fall to the ground by his sword.

Estelle's light artes and attacks came next, although Yuri wasn't able to see completely. He could only focus on grabbing his sword and attacking the monster once more. Pushing himself up with his blade, he rushed at the monster again, it was no longer focused on him as he let out an angered shout with his sword glowing blue with a strange wisp of black. It barely looked at him before it was deeply cut by Yuri's blade almost slicing it in half. In its bright red eyes, it let out another cry once more before it quickly ran deep into the woods.

Yuri let out a heavy breath as he leaned forwards, wrapping his arm around his body in pain "Yuri!" Estelle cried out, dropping her weapons and hurrying over to him. She quickly place her hands on his chest, trying to feel around for what caused him pain "Estelle, are you both-" Yuri tried to speak only for his words to be cut off by Estelle's sudden touch on his ribs, painfully he cringed but it was immediately soothed by her healing artes "Don't talk right now, you're badly hurt." she ordered but Yuri gave a small chuckle "look who's talk-!" his voice was cut off once more at the snapping of his bones moving back into place slowly. It caused his held-in breath to turn into a stifled gasp as Yuri fell to one knee while Estelle lowered herself as well. Yuri closed his eyes, trying to focus on anything but the pain as he silently realized that perhaps cracking a joke or two wasn't the best at that moment.

**~/.L.\~**

It took a good thirty minutes before Yuri could finally talk and move around, and while Repede continued to scout out the area, he and Estelle went back to their rest stop and lit a campfire. Yuri hadn't noticed it during the fight, but he could've swore it was much more stormier than at this moment- He even recalled briefly feeling rain on his face then. Only now it was still cloudy, but not as dark as before. He looked back to Estelle, she had just finished using her own healing artes on herself and took in some heavy breaths. She turned to him with a concerned look "Are you okay Yuri?" she asked as Yuri shook his head "I'm fine but what about you?"

"What do you mean?" she questioned with a tilt of her head, seeing Yuri's face fall into a confused look "You were hit pretty hard back there, I didn't even expect to see you get up so quick after that, let alone at all." As Yuri said this, Estelle fell silent. It was easy to tell when he was being serious or sarcastic, and all she could do was give a small smile "I'm fine, but you looked to be in the same situation." she said as Yuri managed to smile as well, shaking his head at her words "I've taken worse hits than that."

Even though he said it in a playful tone, she looked away from him thinking about the times when he did take a hit worse that what happened only moments ago and she hated how he played it off in a sarcastic tone, she could tell that he was serious, that she was probably worse than what she really thought she had been. What Yuri had said was true. He had taken hits worse than that, but herself? She could barely recall, if even at all.

* * *

**I've been watching a lot of vines recently and TOV skits to get a better feel for the characters, and i couldn't help but think about how Yuri is such a dog person and how Repede got into using a dagger for his weapon. i then remembered that one vine with the knife kid and the mom and burst out laughing cause i could totally imagine Yuri and Repede in that situation with Yuri being overprotective of puppy Repede and since Repede likes shiny things, well you get where i'm going with this. It only made me laugh more when i saw that one sword and shield fan art of that vine and honestly i feel like i think about this concept too much.**

**anyways, enough of my fangirling. I hope you enjoyed this chapter and continue to look forward to more! **(ᵔᴥᵔ)


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